Brothers of the Rainbow
by LazerTH
Summary: Robotnik has a powerful new helper, and she wants to destroy the Freedom Fighters. When all seems lost, an unlikely pair is chosen to prevent a cataclysm. Great adventures and great romance will find the Brothers, as they fight to save their world.
1. The Speech

1 Brothers of the Rainbow  
  
By: LazerTH  
  
Author's note:  
  
I'm back, but only for a short time. Next year I have O-Levels exams, which will make it impossible for me to write any more fanfiction until June or July 2002. I managed to write this during my Christmas vacation, so that those of you who wanted a sequel to "An Imperfect Night" will get one. This is perhaps my longest fanfic ever, but it was written with thought and care. I hope you enjoy this story, which concludes what was started in An Imperfect Night.  
  
Chapter 1: The speech  
  
Since the destruction of Cliff Dome, one week had passed. The Freedom Fighters had been shocked at the sudden appearance of Robotnik, who had almost ended the lives of Sonic and Sally when his missile destroyed the Dome. Thoughts of revenge plagued the mind of Sonic and those who wished for Robotnik's overthrow. There would be retribution, for it was inevitable that action would be taken by both sides, in a struggle to determine who would be the masters of Mobius.  
  
He was thinking about her again, as the grass ripped beneath his feet and his spiky green hair lashed his face. The princess, Sally. he was approaching a chasm, nearly half a mile wide. There was no shrubbery, nothing he could hang on to if he fell short. he just had to keep on running. The vines hanging from the walls were thrown off the aged stones as he flew past them, his feet pumping at inestimable speed. He always enjoyed a challenge, especially ones involving near death experience, that is, until he met Sally, who had changed his outlook on life.  
  
"Hey, are you sure you can make it?"  
  
The transceiver brought the voice across garbled; so great was his speed that the radio waves were distorted.  
  
"Yeah, this'll be an easy one."  
  
Very near to the edge, he remembered the day she had awoken.  
  
"So close, so close. Sonic, I almost lost you!"  
  
"You won't lose me Sally, not ever."  
  
"This war, Sonic, it might separate us, I'm so afraid."  
  
He had held her tight, not wanting to let her go. She was so vulnerable then, Sally, heir to the throne, after the horrific night they had went through.  
  
Back in the present, he realized that he was seconds from the edge. He would not let the war stop them from being together in the future. He had to concentrate.  
  
Wind roaring in his ears, the green flowing beneath his feet. he jumped. No, he soared. Nothing Mobius had ever seen before rivaled his speed. His was the speed of Destiny herself, and perhaps it was She that granted him speed. The ground was far below, the sky opened up before him. Nothing could stop him now.  
  
Tails banked the Tornado, turning his head quickly as his friend flew across the wide chasm: He was just a blue blur shooting through the air, something that seemed alien to this world, and yet so attuned to its life. He knew that his friend could cross the chasm easily, for he had done many things before that had seemed impossible. Like finishing High School.  
  
Halfway there, he curled into a ball. It would help him land easier, and he did. When he struck the ground on the other side, a huge spew of dirt fell into the deep gorge he had just crossed, falling to the river below. Not missing a beat, he sped off still curled into the ball, dodging around scattered outcroppings of rock and ruined structures. He had done this before, and he could do it again. Some stone arches appeared in the distance. He needed to concentrate.  
  
Yet again, he remembered, the shattering glass. The screams. The pain. The anger. He had hated Robotnik before, but that incident had caused an anger within him that burned blacker every day. He wanted revenge, not just that, he needed revenge. Now he understood Lazer's anger.  
  
As he did loop-de-loops around the hewn stone loops, he wondered why the ancients had made them as loops. Well, now was not the time to question the wisdom of the ancestors. Surpassing the arches, leaving dust in his wake, he sped nearer the hill. It seemed taller this time, as if the thoughts weighing on his mind made it seem more formidable. He came out of the ball, using his legs once more. As he came nearer, however, he slowed down. He came down to a jog, and then to a trot. Finally he stopped at the base of the hill, and looked up at it. Many shattered stone structures, that ancient civilizations had made, were scattered about the hill. There was a new path to take every time.  
  
"The moment you start, I'll set the timer!" the voice reminded him. He heard the Tornado somewhere in the distance behind him.  
  
Would he set a new record? Was there anyone on Mobius who could even break the old one? Perhaps that yellow mongoose, but she was far away.  
  
"Three. two. one." he counted down.  
  
He legs churned into the familiar Figure 8. Clouds of dust screeched into existence behind him. Then, he released.  
  
With the thought of Sally once more on his mind, he rocketed up that hill, the trail of dust and gravel still fresh from where he started even when he completed the ascent with a single-handstand upon the peak.  
  
"Two point three-four seconds! Too bad, Sonic! You missed the record by point zero-two seconds!"  
  
"As if you could stop the watch that fast," muttered Sonic, somersaulting to a standing position. He dusted his gloves.  
  
"Well, what do we do now?" he asked, as the Tornado finally flew overhead.  
  
"The speech is gonna be said in half an hour. We should be there."  
  
"Hmm. Yeah, I have a score to settle with old Buttnik."  
  
"I'll land on the flat stone over there," Tails replied, as Sonic ran down the hill and followed the Tornado to a large, single slab of stone. Many ages ago it had served as a place of worship. The sun was nearing its zenith. Shadows from himself and the Tornado stretched across the stone's dark gray face.  
  
"So, do you think we can pull through the War without losing too many Freedom Fighters?" Tails asked absent mindedly, as Sonic took his place on top of the Tornado's wings. Tails was worried that some day, Sonic would fall off in mid-flight, but after many adventures that accident had never occurred before. Sonic brushed his hair to one side before he replied.  
  
"Casualties? Of course there'll be casualties. Buttnik may be senile and crazy, but his robots can still pack power when they have to. That doesn't mean we'll lose, though."  
  
"Yeah," Tails agreed. He turned the key and the biplane sputtered to life.  
  
Twenty minutes later, they had left the Zone and were approaching the Great Forest.  
  
********  
  
The courtyard of Knothole's castle was the only place in the village large enough to hold the impressive gathering of Freedom Fighters that cold morning. Almost two thousand had gathered there, the soldiers and leaders of the army, each of them dressed warmly. Only loyal and trusted Fighters were there, carefully chosen so that there was no suspicion of a spy for Robotnik. Upon the balcony, flanked by his bodyguard Sir John, his wife Alicia, son Elias and daughter Sally, stood the King, Maximillian Acorn. He was clothed in ceremonial armour, for this was a time of conflict. He held the helmet in the crook of his arm as he spoke. All who stood watching him heard his resonant voice, even without the use of a microphone.  
  
"My fellow Freedom Fighters! For many years we fought Ivo Robotnik, and after many struggles we seemed to be at peace. For two years, we allowed him to hide in his city. One week ago, our peace was broken yet again!"  
  
Murmurs of agreement came from the crowd as the King took another breath.  
  
"Many of you know the details of the unfortunate incident of one week ago. Robotnik has clearly demonstrated that he is ready to seize Mobius. Unless we take action soon, he will start another war. We WILL stop him before he takes more lives! Retribution shall be ours!"  
  
A cheer erupted from the crowd. He held up his free hand for silence.  
  
"It has already been arranged that tomorrow, after dawn, the attack upon Robotropolis will begin. We will gather on the east side of the city, concealing our numbers in the trees until we are ready to attack. My daughter Sally Acorn will lead the first wave. I will follow her with the second wave when the first begins to falter. During the battle, we will rely on some of our friends to invade the tower and stop Robotnik at the source. All of this can be accomplished if we work together and have faith in our abilities! We will not fail to bring Robotnik to justice!"  
  
Yet another uproarious cry came from the crowd beneath the balcony. The King waved and was led inside by Sir John, his family following.  
  
"An excellent speech, Sire!" he commented.  
  
"You can save the praise for tomorrow after we've won. For now, I need to get out of this armour. My calves are being chaffed to the bone."  
  
Among the crowd stood Sonic and Tails. They turned and walked off.  
  
"So that's it," said Tails.  
  
"Yeah. It'll be one crazy day tomorrow."  
  
"I'm working on a weapon with some other guys. It'll definitely help the fight tomorrow. You want to see it?"  
  
"New weapon? That's okay; I'm a weapon by myself. Later."  
  
"True. Alright then, later, Sonic."  
  
They turned their separate ways. Tails was thinking of possible flaws in the structure of the weapon, while Sonic was thinking of himself and Sally. He had doubts about the battle tomorrow, and knew that all might not go well, especially after last week. Sighing, he ran toward the general direction of Knothole. There was something he had to pick up. 


	2. By the Waterfall

Chapter 2  
  
By the Waterfall  
  
There was one Freedom Fighter who did not care for morale boosting speeches. He avoided crowds, trusted very few people, and could sometimes not be seen or found for days on end. He was Lazer, the red hedgehog who guarded the Lake of Rings. For those of you who weren't introduced, he had red fur, orange skin, and a V-shaped patch of fur on his forehead. He wore white-blue gloves, spiked at the wrist. Some believed that he ignored his job, but they could not be more wrong. He could sense many things, and one of those things he was attuned to was the Lake. Never before had anyone trespassed and went unnoticed.  
  
Several kilometers away from Knothole, deep within the Great Forest, he had found another reclusive spot for his meditation. The roar of a waterfall had drawn him to it several weeks ago. The waterfall was not particularly high or magnificent, less than thirty feet off the forest floor. It was wide, flowing down from stony shoulders of rock and descending upon the forest in a clear, cool stream that wound its way between the trees. Beams of light that penetrated the leafy canopy fell upon the river and its surrounding banks in golden rays of warmth. Few fish swam in that river, and the darkness of the surrounding forest seemed to numb the sound that the waterfall made as it flowed, foaming tirelessly upon the rocks below. He was now seated cross-legged upon a circular rock; his spiked shoes were arranged neatly beside him. His palms lay quietly upon his lap, his quills were drooping. His dark eyes were closed to the world around him.  
  
He was aware that the great gathering had taken place in Knothole castle. Bunnie had come by one day, and when she could not find him, had pinned a note to his door. He thought that the Freedom Fighters knew him well enough by now, and would refrain from inviting him to crowded gatherings. Ah well, no harm done. He preferred the forest, its darkness and especially its seclusion. It helped him to think.  
  
Robotnik was foremost in his mind. The man that had demolished his country of Xadra would not be allowed to stay free for much longer. The battle would take place tomorrow, and the Freedom Fighters might lose. Lazer had faith in his allies, but did not overlook the possibility of defeat.  
  
When they won, he would be the first one to suggest a death sentence as the despot stood before the court. When they lost, he would go alone, invade the tower, and drag him back to face justice. Again, he would suggest a death sentence. Robotnik did not deserve less.  
  
For the few years he had been here, he watched (and helped) the Freedom Fighters of Knothole and other groups wage battle with Robotnik's robotic forces. Then a period of peace had come. He had felt suspicion for all that time: that Robotnik would appear when they least expected. Undeniably, he had returned, and now there must be a decision: either Robotnik won, or the Freedom Fighters gained the victory. One of those decisions by Fate, he knew, would be permanent.  
  
Lazer was confident, despite his troublesome thoughts, that tomorrow's battle would be a victory for the legion of Fighters. He had come to respect them and their leaders for their courage and bravery. He would have a special part in all the madness that tomorrow would bring, for Bunnie had also included in the note that he was to be a member of an "Infiltration Unit". He should have felt privileged, but felt nothing. He had shrugged, and thought that they really wanted to be victorious tomorrow. He was not the one to disappoint.  
  
For now he would meditate, and clear his mind of all the memories that the past had in store for him. His mind achieved a state akin to sleep, except that his senses were alert. Sleep was the furthest thing from his mind as his conscious thought was removed from the world. 


	3. Reflection

Chapter 3: Reflection  
  
The city, the one the Freedom Fighters had built ten miles away from Robotropolis, had more people in the streets than normal. The representatives of the city (who had been sent to Knothole) came back with news that tomorrow would bring a decisive battle for their future. One citizen in particular was to report to Knothole for further instructions. When the message reached her, she was surprised, not just because she hadn't heard from her friends in Knothole for some time.  
  
"Yeah, it even has the royal seal on it!"  
  
"The royal seal? They must need you."  
  
She was lying on the couch in her apartment, a phone in one hand. The apartment wasn't too different from the others that crowded the condominium. It had the standard bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. The walls were painted a gray-white shade. They had posters of rock bands taped to them here and there, and the floor wasn't too clean. A small television was in one corner, adjacent to the wall with the only window in the room. A single fluorescent bulb hung over the couch, on which reclined a yellow mongoose with lavender hair. She hoped to leave this confined space and move in with her boyfriend some day.  
  
"Well, I did belong to Knothole once, ya know. I was almost as fast as Sonic himself."  
  
"So that's why they need you?"  
  
"Yeah, I suppose. I gotta get ready to leave now; I can't keep the King waiting."  
  
"Right. Call me as soon as you get back, okay Mina? And I know the warning is old, but take care of yourself."  
  
"Sure. Bye sweetie."  
  
She hung up the phone: Mina, the second fastest living thing on Mobius. Like Sonic, she was packed in an instant, and several moments later rushed out of the building and down the road, causing a few pedestrians to wonder why Sonic had dyed his fur yellow.  
  
  
  
The blacksmith shop was dank with steam and smelt strongly of polish. Sonic instinctively began breathing through his mouth as he entered. Ricardo didn't keep a pleasant shop, but he did wonderful things with metal. He hailed from the northern end of the Great Forest, a large black bear with a gray stripe between his eyes. He had come to Knothole after the call went out for a blacksmith; years ago an inspection of the armoury had been very disappointing. Since Ricardo had come, the armoury was his daily chore. He forged new swords and armour for Sir John and Antoine, along with the rest of the royal guards. He used a special formula of polish that prevented rust formation indefinitely. There was nothing that he could not do with a lump of base iron ore.  
  
"Yes, Sonic, how is the world outside? Inside here, my sun is the furnace and my moon is the small light I hang over my bedside, you know?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. The battle's gonna be tomorrow."  
  
"Oh yes, you want your gauntlets!"  
  
He bent his shaggy body beneath the counter, sifted through other items, then stood upright and displayed a perfectly new pair of gauntlets. They shone with a thin silver coating, well oiled joints, and as an additional touch, each had a large "S" engraved on the top of the wrist, beneath the knuckles. Ricardo smiled down at them.  
  
"They gave me a bit of a challenge, but they will work satisfactory enough. Go ahead, try them on!"  
  
The blue hedgehog, dwarfed by the large black bear, was obliged to do so. They fitted snugly, and he noted with surprise that they were very light and didn't pinch his hands at all. The top of each gauntlet was mirror polished, and he could easily see his reflection on them.  
  
"They will reflect laser beams, you know, I polished the tops very nicely. They laugh at water and rust. Oh yes, they are insulated, you know, so that you won't get zapped if you hit something live."  
  
Sonic bent his fingers several times and smiled. They didn't restrict hand movement in the slightest. He punched his fists together, making a chink sound.  
  
"Ah, good, you smile. So when will I get paid for my work?"  
  
"Two months, and I'll pay in full. Thanks a million, Rick, I appreciate them."  
  
"Good, good. You can try punching with them too. The insulator I put is also shock absorbent, not just electrically. You can crumble walls and not hurt your hand, if you had the strength."  
  
"Thanks again, Rick. I'll be seeing ya."  
  
"Bye, Sonic, and."  
  
But Sonic had already left, the door swinging on its hinges.  
  
".Close the door on your way out. It's getting colder each day!"  
  
Sonic hadn't run very far when he felt a change in the wind direction. Before long, a yellow bolt of furry lightning shot past him, and he was spun around. After collapsing into the dust, a single name crossed his mind, "Mina!"  
  
He picked himself up and dusted himself off, and she was standing before him. The years had not seemed to touch her. Some people simply remained young for a long time. She was wearing a black tee shirt with some rock band or the other imprinted on it. Two bags were sitting beside her feet.  
  
"Well, Sonic, will you at least say 'Hello!' to an old friend?"  
  
"Hello Mina."  
  
"Hello Sonic!"  
  
With that she gave him a playful hug. He broke away immediately.  
  
"Some things never change," he growled. Her eyes were laughing at him as she pushed back a lock of hair.  
  
"I got orders from the King himself. I'm gonna be in an Infiltration Unit! I feel so special!" she giggled. He glowered.  
  
"Well, I'm glad for you and stuff."  
  
"Can I stay at your place?" she asked suddenly. He really glowered at her this time.  
  
"No."  
  
"Awwww!" she whined. Then she giggled again. "Oh yeah, people might think."  
  
"Precisely. Uh, maybe you can stay at my parents' home. they're not too far from here."  
  
She resisted the urge to tousle his hair. He had grown so serious!  
  
"Cool! Show me."  
  
Mina picked up her bags and followed him as he exited the village in a blue streak. Sonic was still wondering why no one had told him that SHE would be part of the special unit also. Her hyperactivity might prove troublesome.  
  
The room of Sally Acorn was dim with the afternoon sun filtering through the drapes. The squirrel princess was at her desk, studying the maps that her mini computer 'Nicole' displayed. The glow from the small screen flickered on her face as she tried to formulate the best angle of attack. Her eyes were on the maps, but her thoughts were elsewhere.  
  
Unfortunately, the memories had not left her: the loud explosion, Sonic lying in his own blood, and the helpless anger and terror she felt. She remembered blaming Lazer for not stopping the missile, and then recalled when she had visited his hut to apologize for her blind mistake. The red hedgehog had gone through far more terrible experiences than she ever would, and she had felt the need to make amends. When she had stood before his door, a small note had been pinned to it.  
  
"I understood your feelings at that time, Princess. No need to apologize."  
  
Princess. He always called her Princess. Maybe he had forgotten her real name.  
  
The memories would not fade for a very long time. She also remembered Sonic comforting her the morning after, the one person who drove her fears away, with his arms around her and his body close to hers. She felt frustrated that the past was affecting her work. After a while she gave up, turned off Nicole and paced out of her room in a state of agitation.  
  
After completing target practice with Sir John, Elias entered the dining room and found his sister sunk into one of the plush armchairs. A half empty glass of lemonade was on the floor beside her.  
  
"So tell me, what's bothering you?"  
  
He crashed unceremoniously into the couch beside her. She groaned a bit and fumbled about in the chair, trying to sit up straight. She gave up that struggle and collapsed into its warm softness, closing her eyes. The weather was cold, and she felt glad for the chair and the fireplace in the hearth.  
  
"I still can't forget that night. It's haunting me endlessly, and I don't know why I can't let it go."  
  
"You need to relax. Maybe take a long walk."  
  
Sally perked up at this new idea.  
  
"Only if you come with me."  
  
"Sure thing."  
  
He helped her out of the armchair and they left the dining room and the castle, hand in hand, brother and sister, to take a long walk. They momentarily stopped to pick up extra coats. There was no sense in going for a walk and freezing at the same time.  
  
"Nicko, you don't put the red wire in the green slot," said Tails, and correctly placed the red wire into the blue slot.  
  
"Oh, yeah, I would have reversed its polarity like that."  
  
In the woods outside of Knothole stood a makeshift shack. Tails and Rotor, with the help of two budding mechanical genii, Nicko and Jonathan, had built that shack a few weeks ago. It had been insulated to withstand both cold and heat.  
  
Some time ago, after discovering that Nicko, a yellow and black gerbil, had such skills, and that Jonathan, a brown wolf, also had the gift, the village mechanics had made a sort of school for the unlikely pair. They had become fast friends, considering they were both interested in electronic devices and the art of creating or repairing them. Now they were under the guidance of Rotor and Tails, who made sure that their students developed their full potential. The four were huddled around a table on which lay a curious, rectangular box, with wires protruding from the side where Tails was doing surgery.  
  
"Why are we covering it with durafoam? Surely that will decrease the output?" questioned Jonathan.  
  
"Nope, the thing is, that's just the carrying case, so it won't get dented or anything. When we're ready to use it, we'll take off the durafoam covering."  
  
"Oh, right," the teenager replied, glad that Rotor knew what he was doing.  
  
"Alright, we gotta insert the black and purple wires at thirty three degree angles and cement them in place. Be careful!" Tails warned, as Rotor and Nicko brought the wires into position. Only when they had stuck the wires in that Tails noticed their error.  
  
"Hey! It's thirty degrees the other way.!"  
  
It was too late. The light above their worktable exploded and slivers of glass showered them as a huge electrical field emanated from the device and blasted everything in the room with an EMP pulse. Their respective furs nearly turned into nylon.  
  
A few seconds later they stumbled out of the hut, coughing, as smoke billowed out the windows. There was no fire; the smoke had come from the device as it short-circuited.  
  
"T- talk about premature launch!" gasped Nicko as he fell onto the grass, fur standing on end.  
  
"Aw, darn! The EMP generator must be fried!" Tails groaned, trying to smooth down his puffed out hide. They had spent half a day working on that thing.  
  
"Uh, I'll go and get another light bulb."  
  
Rotor waddled off to his hut, the one nearest to the shack.  
  
"So," Jonathan said, after removing soot from his fur, "What about tomorrow?"  
  
"Who will detonate the device? It won't have to be anyone in particular. Once the remote control is made, anyone who's standing less than two hundred feet away can set it off by pressing a single button"  
  
"How large can the blast be?" asked Nicko.  
  
"Hmm, about a hundred and fifty metre radius. Anything electronic will be destroyed."  
  
"Wait, won't people get caught in the blast?"  
  
"We just survived a blast, right? All we got was hair standing on end. I prefer that than a whole army of Combots bearing down on us."  
  
"And it will take out an army. We'll have to find the most concentrated group of robots and set it off from there. I just hope it won't short circuit," Jonathan thought aloud.  
  
Three minutes later Rotor had returned with a new light bulb, and the team of mechanical wizards began to construct a less faulty EMP pulse device.  
  
Bunnie was feeding a non-anthropomorphic rabbit (that is, a normal rabbit by Earth standards). The small creature had been discovered by the half-robotic Freedom Fighter yesterday, lying just outside of her hut. Even when Bunnie had picked it up, it did not struggle. Today, it did not seem any better. She hadn't bothered to carry it by a vet, since it was apparent that it would not live for very long. She would keep it warm and feed it until the passing took place.  
  
"Y'all small forest creatures don't worry 'bout wars and otha things. Tomorrow will just be another day for you and your family. Well, it'll be a lot more than just that, for us, that is."  
  
She stroked the rabbit, changed its water and left the hut. It gave a small gasp and closed its tiny eyes. The world had been cruel to it, but now a creature that smelt like itself, except much larger, had given it care. The rabbit did not understand why or how it was being cared for, but it was grateful.  
  
The coyote, Antoine D'Coolette, royal guard of Knothole, was doing his usual duty. The borders of Knothole had become considerably larger since the palace had been built, so he had devised a plan to cover a larger area in a shorter time: since the huts were built close to each other, they had been connected with rooftop walkways. The other royal guards had agreed to this, since the winding streets could not allow them to mobilize quickly enough. Now Antoine marched above the huts, staring around in all directions. Many things missed his eye, though. A child stealing pastry from the local chef went unnoticed. A group of residents moved off into the forest unwatched. He wasn't very good at his job, but he stuck to it.  
  
"Ah, eet ees one thirty. Time to polish ze sword."  
  
He sat down on the walkway and drew out the well-polished blade. It was a popular rumour among the village folk that Antoine spent more time polishing his sword than he did patrolling. He hummed a tune while rubbing the blade with a cloth, and then his sight was suddenly diminished.  
  
"Gahhhh!! Wat ze heck!"  
  
"Guess who, shuga?" said a voice, and he felt a kiss between his ears. He was not wearing his wig today.  
  
It was quite obvious to whom that voice belonged. He was glad that Bunnie had opted to use a velvet glove on her roboticized hand. He gently removed her hands and kissed the one made of flesh.  
  
"Ah, darleeng, if only your other hand was of flesh, I would kees it always."  
  
"Shuga, you can kiss me any time you want. Hey, after the battle tomorrow we can have some one-on-one, don't y'all think so?" she asked, smiling at him suggestively.  
  
"Let's not be too hasty. we do not know who will be ze victor."  
  
"Well, OF COURSE we know who'll win, shuga! Thuh Freedom Fighters are all coming together, and tomorrow we'll bang Robotnik straight into next century!" she declared.  
  
"Eet must be nice to be zat optimeestic. Well, since I have polished ze blade, I must return to my duties. Au revoir, mon ami."  
  
"Later, shuga-Ant."  
  
She hugged him tightly (cutting off his air supply with her bionic strength) and walked away, waving.  
  
Antoine noticed with annoyance that since Sonic called him "Ant" all the time, Bunnie had started calling him "Shuga-Ant" Well, better Bunnie than Sonic. He congratulated himself for having such a strong girlfriend.  
  
Antoine was probably not aware, but Bunnie made up for his lack of fighting spirit, and he was the charmer who preferred to love than to fight. Such couplings always worked well for both parties.  
  
  
  
"We should intervene before the time passes."  
  
"No. We will watch them further, until we are certain that they cannot survive without our help."  
  
"I do not believe that we should tempt Fate, but it is the will of the mas-ssked oness."  
  
"Agreed. Fate will deal with them in due course. For now, we will observe."  
  
The meeting ended. The four elders left their meeting site, to unite again in a place where they could observe the events occurring within the Great Forest and Robotropolis. Commanded by the Masked Ones, but fearful of Fate, they would interfere with the progress of events when all was lost. 


	4. Trump Card

Where they sat was in a dark, windowless room. An air vent blew warm air. A single light on the ceiling gave a circular glow between them, but did not reveal their features.  
  
"I allowed you to live here. I had extra food stores set aside an I even allowed you to choose decorations," he said distastefully. "I expect my charity to be rewarded. Are you absolutely prepared? Do you need anything at all that will help you?"  
  
Her glowing green irises and the curl of her tail were the only things discernible in the darkness.  
  
"I need nothing. I only require that when the time comes, you will not try to interfere. I have become even more skilled than my former master. The Black Emerald holds no secrets for me. I've managed to control its magic, so you don't need to worry," she said carefully and slowly, making sure that he understood what she said.  
  
"Good. I expect tremendous results. I didn't pretend to be dormant for two years and allow those blasted creatures to run free out of the goodness of my heart. You said that you needed an absence of life from where you trained, and I gave you that. You needed me to cease my activities so that you would not be distracted. That took much from me, miss Nyress. I have many plans that would have taken place long ago."  
  
"But would not have worked," she interrupted. He stared at her with hidden anger. "I know that the plans you made before and after I came here have all failed. I read your mind with the emerald, Robotnik. I know each and every failure. It seems that those 'blasted creatures' have the upper hand."  
  
"You're wrong!" he shouted, finally enraged. He lifted himself from the chair and paced about the room.  
  
"All my plans had flaws, and I only discovered them AFTER they failed! They must have spies learning of my brilliant ideas! I would have become the ruler of Mobius years ago if it had not been for that blasted."  
  
"Hedgehog? You seem to hate him the most. I saw him two days ago, running around the outskirts of the city. Calm down Robotnik; your blood pressure is dangerously high."  
  
He took her advice and sat himself down again, muttering to himself.  
  
"I will not fail as you have. The power of the Black Emerald will even exceed that of the red hedgehog you spoke of."  
  
"The red hedgehog, Lazer? Yes, yes, the one who has the five emeralds? Maybe you can use his vow to your advantage," Robotnik mumbled, distracted by his own thoughts.  
  
"Hum, yes. Do not be over anxious, I can do wonders with the emerald."  
  
She rose to leave, a feline with green eyes and well-groomed ebony fur. Straight, light golden brown hair fell two inches past her shoulders. Both her ears were pierced with jewelry-encrusted earrings. Around her neck hung a heavy platinum chain and disc of the same material. This disc had an image of the Black Emerald engraved upon it, and ringed around the image were eight blue diamonds. About her neck, a clasp held her flowing black robe that shimmered in the small amount of light. She wore a two-piece set of marble gray clothing. Her soft leather sandals made no sound as she left, her robe and tail swishing upon the doorframe.  
  
Robotnik watched her leave. Hannah Nyress was the only furry creature that, for two and a half years, he had allowed to live within his city. She was bewitching, not only physically but also mentally. The green irises held his gaze and hypnotized him if he looked into them long enough. She had gained great power from the Black Emerald. He himself had experienced its earth-shattering power, and he gingerly rubbed his artificial arm. Two years and three days ago, he had lost his right arm to the Emerald, when he had tried to manipulate its unfathomable energies with one of his machines. He remembered the great pain, and that black feline smiling at him as he groaned in agony.  
  
"Yes, you give me victory, miss Nyress. Then I can get rid of you."  
  
Another thought unwillingly entered his mind, "IF I can get rid of you." 


	5. The Advance

Chapter 5- The Advance  
  
Fresh sunlight came through the trees. It was the first hour of the chilly dawn. Assembled within the forest, less than two miles east from Robotropolis, was the mightiest force of Freedom Fighters that Mobius had seen for decades. All manner of furry and scaly creature was there: from the inhabitants of the forest to amphibians that resided near to the sea. Freedom Fighters from hundreds of different factions scattered across the Great Forest and the surrounding country were united there and then to have the (final?) battle between good and evil.  
  
The army was not a single attack force. Their leaders were too intelligent to allow such a mistake. The first, major unit, led by Princess Sally, comprised of a ground attack force backed up by a modified Tornado (Tails had been tinkering with some weapon schematics) flown by a capable pilot, Fawkes, who was the canine leader of a Freedom Fighter base. The second assault, led by King Acorn and Elias, would give backup if the first wave faltered. They would have helicopters (supplied by the Freedom Fighter city) to aid them. The last, smallest division of the army was the key to victory: an Infiltration Unit, its members carefully chosen for their respective abilities. Sonic, of course, would lead this unit, his second in command being Mina. Tails, with his electronic expertise, could shut down the army when they invaded the tower. The fourth component of this unit was Lazer, who would cover them.  
  
They were all preparing themselves for the showdown. While the army led the attack, and kept the robotic forces busy, the infiltrators would invade the tower and stop Robotnik at the source. It was a clear-cut plan.  
  
Sonic met with Sally alone; behind several supply trucks.  
  
"Well, all hell's gonna break loose in a few minutes."  
  
"There isn't much to say, is there?"  
  
He looked her up and down. She looked cute in body armour.  
  
"Well, Sal, I'll see you in a few hours, after we win."  
  
"Good luck, Sonic, you know I'll be thinking of you. By the way, nice gloves."  
  
"They're gauntlets," he grinned, displaying his silver hands.  
  
They kissed, briefly, and went their separate ways. Sonic pulled on a warm jacket. He favoured black; it made him look professional. It also kept him warm as winter was approaching. He met with the members of the unit that he was to lead. Tails wore a fur coat; it was dark blue. Mina was wrapping a purple scarf around her neck. It was a much darker shade than her hair. Lazer, for some reason, did not wish to wear clothing.  
  
"Dude, aren't you cold?"  
  
In response, Lazer began to glow red. The leaves beneath his spiked shoes began to crackle and smoke.  
  
"Okay, okay, I see your point."  
  
"Hey, Sonic, when do we get to do the job? I hope we ain't gonna sit around here and wait for a signal!" said Mina.  
  
"Nah. we get to be in the battle until Sal gives us the green. We get to have fun, at least."  
  
"Yeah," said Tails. He removed two guns from within his jacket. Sonic eyed them warily.  
  
"Guns? And since when do you carry guns?"  
  
"Not guns; long range EMP pulse devices. I doubt that Robotnik has any other force than robots, so these will do a lot more good than normal guns."  
  
"I. see," breathed Sonic, running a hand through his hair and wondering when Tails had grown up. Mina giggled again. She understood Sonic's concern. He did not want Tails to become a bloodthirsty maniac like some Freedom Fighters had turned out.  
  
"When is the battle going to start?" asked Lazer, looking around the trees at the armoured ground forces. The city had supplied the body armour and food rations, and the castle had provided some primitive weaponry, such as machetes and broadswords (their handles were insulated from electricity). As usual, there were the common blaster rifles and laser knives. All in all the army was not lacking, except the taste of victory.  
  
Thus, at thirty minutes past six on a cold morning, the assault upon Robotropolis was commenced.  
  
"Come on people, let's go, go, GO!" yelled Sally, running ahead of them all. A roar went up, a swell of voices mixed with the cries of triumph, and hatred for Robotnik and all his machines. The ground thundered with their feet, the air rippled with their cries. Never, never again would Robotnik repress them!  
  
"Death to Robotnik! Death to robots!" someone yelled, waving their weapon about.  
  
"Hey, half of me resents that last statement, y'all," said Bunnie, but she was also wishing doom for the tyrant. They all were.  
  
As you might expect, the robots met with them. Robotnik had been more cautious than usual. Instead of programming them to shoot only when they had a 100% chance of killing, he changed it for 50% accuracy. This way, the shots that missed had a chance of hitting others. It was with dismay that the Freedom Fighters realized this. Their spirit was unabated despite, and they fought with intense vigor.  
  
None fought with more hatred than Lazer. He concealed his anger around others, but during battle he was vicious. His was a hatred fueled by the loss of millions of souls, his countrymen that were wiped out by Robotnik. If you could have visited that battle scene hours afterward, the large craters that still gave off smoke would have been his mark.  
  
Sonic and Mina fought together, both using their impossible speed to bewilder the robots and easily destroy them. Sonic used his quills while Mina used a laser knife. It felt right for them to be in the struggle together, both gifted with supersonic swiftness.  
  
Tails was flying quickly, dodging even if the robots weren't aiming at him. He helped a Freedom Fighter here and there with the EMP guns, and each time a robot suddenly malfunctioned and crashed into the ground, its circuits smoldering. He gave a peace sign whenever on of his allies looked up at him, and then continued the fight.  
  
Sally was using a blaster rifle, setting it on the highest power level to show the robots that she meant business. Entire body frames were destroyed each time she found her target, and every now and then she paused to shout orders to her troops. She sniffed the air; it smelt of crude oil, and not of blood. It was a good sign.  
  
In the heat of battle, as they say, the signal was given at last. Sonic, Mina, Tails and Lazer heard the beep of their communicators, followed by three loud drum rhythms. They converged at a pre-determined spot: a low hill that was I view of the tower. Lazer immediately formed a shield around the hill, and the robots' fire was useless.  
  
"Okay, calm down, everyone," Sonic said, and all of them gave him a sarcastic glance. "The tower is there, and we're here. I suppose we all know what to do. GO!"  
  
Removing the shield, Lazer flew with Tails while streaks of blue and yellow flashed through the two armies. The unit had little problems to enter Robotropolis itself, with their speed. Within the city, they did meet defenses, which Lazer hastily destroyed. Impatient with their rate of progress, he grabbed Tails (who was rather surprised), flew down to meet Sonic, and placed Tails' arm in his gauntlet-covered hand.  
  
"Follow me," he said, and blasted off. A red aura surrounded him and those who followed, deflecting enemy fire. By this means of travel, they made it to the tower's gates within seconds.  
  
"Good one," noted Sonic  
  
"Yeah," said Tails, who was somewhat annoyed that Lazer had thought him too slow.  
  
"How do we get in?" asked Mina. Then, red light blasted in her face, and a heat wave washed over her. A large hole had been melted into the gates.  
  
"Never mind. Geez, Sonic, that guy is ticked off today. Where did you find him?"  
  
She watched Lazer stand next to the entrance he had made, his face upturned to the sky. His gaze was transfixed on the clouds passing by, as if not a care in the world bothered him.  
  
"He found us," replied Sonic. He shrugged: "He's always ticked off during fights. Thank Destiny he's on our side."  
  
They ran up to him.  
  
"Well, thanks a lot for blowing our cover, Lazer. Now what do we do?"  
  
He looked down at them, mortal as they were.  
  
"I did my part. Now it's up to you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You go ahead. It won't make sense if I'm in front and destroy the walls and floor so you can't get across."  
  
"Point taken. Tails, Mina, let's go."  
  
Mina stopped to talk to him before she entered the tower.  
  
"Why don't you just blow up the whole tower?"  
  
"I would like to, but I can't kill anyone," he said with a solemn face. She stared at him incredulously, and then heard Sonic calling them. Moments later they were gone, as the cries of battle grew nearer.  
  
  
  
The battle was starting to shift in the robots' favour. Casualties appeared to be low but morale was falling. To their advantage, the robots had no emotion and continued to fight mercilessly. Sally was thinking of this as she charged the opposing forces.  
  
"Wonder how Sonic's doing," she thought to herself, and demolished another ComBot with a blaster charge. Her communicator beeped and she heard her father's voice.  
  
"Sally! Your army is falling back! I should bring my unit into the fray now!"  
  
"No, Dad! Give me three more minutes!"  
  
She changed the frequency as her body armour absorbed a laser shot. Ducking and rolling to avoid any more hits, she contacted Fawkes, who was about two hundred meters in the air and shooting down HoverBots.  
  
"Fawkes, use the EMP charge NOW!" she yelled. A robot loomed up near to her, pointing its weapon at her face. She held up her rifle and it was shot from her hands, falling useless to the ground. While it recharged for another shot, a searing blast came from the right and its head and upper body were blasted into nothing. Sally turned to see Bunnie pulling back her arm cannon.  
  
"I always look out for you, Sally-girl. Be careful next time, okay?"  
  
She tossed the princess another rifle. Then realization paid another call to Sally.  
  
"Oh, Goddess! Bunnie, an EMP charge is going to be dropped soon!"  
  
"An EMP what?"  
  
Sally knew what EMP did to electronics, and Bunnie was half robot.  
  
"Just run away from me as fast as you can!" she cried, shooting down more robots.  
  
"Oh, alright, Sally-girl! See y'all later then."  
  
Bunnie's robotic legs extended to their maximum length and she took gigantic strides to another part of the battlefield, while removing robots in her way. It was not too late, as blue light illuminated the battlefield. Hundreds of robots were falling lifeless as the air became electrified. A raucous cheer rose from the Freedom Fighters, as they saw their enemy losing ground. The army surged onward to Robotropolis.  
  
"Now THAT is what I call a morale boost!" Sally cried exultantly, running with her allies.  
  
From the forest, King Acorn smiled and said proudly,  
  
"That's my princess."  
  
  
  
With the speed of Sonic and Mina, the unit made it up the tower with very little difficulty. Guns and robots frequently emerged from the walls but just as quickly the two supersonic fighters sheared them to pieces. Lazer and Tails simply followed behind, flying to keep up pace.  
  
"Do you think Sonic will let Robotnik live? He's really angry at him."  
  
"I met Robotnik face to face several times and I never killed him. However," Lazer continued, pausing to pick up a power pack from a fallen robot, "I learned to control my anger. Sonic's a loose gun. If Robotnik ticks him off any further, blood might spill."  
  
"What's so bad about killing Robotnik? He's the most evil person that Destiny allowed to enter this world."  
  
"Yes. Robotnik is something that creation vomited forth while the gods weren't looking. But," he said matter-of-factly, "The Ancient Walkers reminded me that only Fate has the right to end life. I would enjoy killing him very much, but I would never forgive myself for taking life. The Ancient Walkers wouldn't forgive me, either."  
  
"Since when did you talk to the Walkers?" Tails asked in a sarcastic voice.  
  
Lazer gripped the power pack and drained its energy, then tossed it behind him. New sparks of electricity emitted from his quills.  
  
"Four years, two months, sixteen days ago, when Adrax was destroyed."  
  
Tails remained silent, knowing that Lazer never made jokes about the Powers That Be. They continued to fly upward, hearing the commotion made by the rampaging hedgehog and mongoose.  
  
The battle waxed and waned in the favour of the Freedom Fighters but Sonic and Mina were unaware when they finally entered the room adjoining the command center. It was pitch black; the darkness was complete.  
  
"We definitely need some light. Lazer! Get up here, man."  
  
The red hedgehog shortly arrived.  
  
"This place feels evil," he commented, and created a ball of Chaos energy in his hand. The room was revealed in ruby-red light.  
  
"That's bright!" said a female voice. A chair in the room swiveled to face the group. A black feline, her golden brown hair in a ponytail, was caressing a large black emerald on her lap.  
  
"Huh? Who're you?" asked Sonic. Two windows appeared in the walls, allowing the gray light from outside to enter. Lazer dissipated the energy ball, and considered the possible threat. There was something about that emerald.  
  
"It's good that we meet, Sonic. I see that you brought your friends along," she said, her eyes flicking across the group of four. "I recognize Lazer and Tails, but who is that girl?"  
  
Mina stepped forward.  
  
"My name's Mina, whoever you are!"  
  
"How rude of me. My name is Hannah Nyress, the sorceress of the Black Emerald, or the Dark Jewel if you prefer. I am here to rid Mobius of the Freedom Fighters."  
  
"Definitely a threat," thought Lazer.  
  
Sonic grinned. She was a particularly attractive black cat, with sleek form, especially with that revealing clothing.  
  
"So, you want to get rid of us. Now, why would a good-looking kitty, such as yourself, want to kill us?" he asked, already dismissing her as another pretty face that was all talk and no muscle.  
  
"Rather simple reason, really. because I can. Now, pardon me while I chant."  
  
She began to chant foreign words over the emerald, and the room became darker. Sonic and Mina attacked at once, but bounced off an invisible barrier. Hannah laughed at them.  
  
"Really, you are comical. Robotnik exaggerated his description of you a hundredfold. He said that you made the earth tremble and stone shatter.  
  
"Well, I can when I'm ready," retorted Sonic, smoothing back his hair and adjusting his jacket in order to retain some pride. He disliked being laughed at by a girl.  
  
"Sonic! She has a shield around her. What do we do to break it?"  
  
"I heard that, little girl! Nothing short of the emeralds themselves can break the Shield of Darkness."  
  
"Little girl!? Take that back!" Mina cried, leaping toward the cat and her jewel with her knife slashing. Again, she rebounded off the shield, the knife skidding across the floor. She lay there, rubbing her shoulder, her eyes glinting with fury.  
  
"Pfft. Come now, you don't expect that needle to penetrate my defense."  
  
Tails tried next, using his EMP guns. The pulses struck the barrier and fizzled out.  
  
"My, my, how futile."  
  
Tails shook his head.  
  
"Our weapons are useless!"  
  
Hannah turned to Lazer, a smile playing on her lips.  
  
"Well? You won't give it a try? Don't disappoint me; Robotnik said that nature's elements obey your commands," she said, as if it were a joke.  
  
"Fire and lightning, yes, but not water, yet. Nyress, why are you protecting Robotnik?"  
  
He was talking to her conversationally, and his voice held no anger.  
  
"Protecting? Yes, that overweight blob does need someone to protect him. I came here two years ago, and found him in a very sorry state."  
  
"That's fine, but where did you come from?"  
  
"Ah, you may want to know my past. Very well. I came from an island, if you can imagine such a thing, but not that Floating Isle. I came from one that sits in the middle of the ocean, somewhere to the west of this continent. I never knew my parents," she said, her voice turning bitter with those last words. She stayed quiet for a moment the carried on:  
  
"I was an apprentice, and my Master taught me how to control the Black Emerald's power. One day I overheard that, across the sea, a great force of evil had nuked an entire civilization from the face of Mobius. So that sparked my curiosity. I became bored with my Master, so I killed him and used the Emerald to come here."  
  
"What, you killed him?" Lazer interrupted in a calm voice. She paused to look at him. Their eyes met across the room, his coal black and hers glowing green. She was curious: why did he not display his anger? She could plainly sense the rage within him, but it had been restrained.  
  
"You killed, like Robotnik. Now I know why you came here. Birds of a feather flock together. Be afraid of me, Hannah Nyress. My anger has fallen upon you also."  
  
He spoke like someone delivering the news: cool, calm and collected. What his allies did not notice was the flame growing within his eyes.  
  
Sonic, Tails and Mina retreated as a fierce blast of light emanated from Lazer. The Five Emeralds were aroused, and the air began to sizzle with their ferocity. Pointing his fists at the form of the black feline, whose eyes were shining with the spectacle, a tremendous explosion of red laser energy crashed against the shield. Lazer held his ground, the spikes on his shoes scraping against the floor, forcing even more power into the concentrated beam. The air became molten around the shield, and slowly a glow of red spread around the point of impact. Massive amounts of energy were being slammed into Hannah's defenses, energy that outmatched the Mobian sun in its intensity.  
  
"Oooh, such hatred, such anger, you finally brought it out. It's almost erotic. but you can't do it!" she purred, holding up the emerald for all to see.  
  
It was true. The power of five Chaos Emeralds could not break the shield! Lazer was defeated!  
  
"Damn!" Lazer gasped, dropping his arms and sinking to the floor that had liquefied beneath him, utterly spent of his strength. No amount of meditation could have prepared him for the surge of shame that he felt for losing so quickly.  
  
"You, the mighty bearer of Five Emeralds, cannot match the power of the One Black Emerald!" she laughed, gloating over her victory.  
  
"Ho-lee crap," Sonic said, mesmerized by the display of power and Lazer's defeat. He now respected the black feline as having muscle as well as looks.  
  
"You have entertained me Lazer, I will say that much. I actually thought that you would break my defense and end my life. I am glad that I was wrong!"  
  
She placed the emerald to float before her and began another chant. Lazer raised his head and looked with more than his eyes. He sensed the overpowering evil that was being brought out from the Dark Jewel.  
  
"Sonic, Tails, Mina," he grunted, trying to stand, "Get out of here! Tell the army to retreat! She is a foe beyond any of you!"  
  
"Dude, I believe you. Tails, contact Sally!"  
  
"Alright," Tails complied, depressed by the loss. The group began to run down the tower once more, but Lazer remained behind.  
  
"You are strong in sorcery, but I will win the next battle," he said, but she was ignoring him, the arcane words pouring from her mouth and over the emerald. He hovered off the ground and flew, soaring down the tower, retreating from the dark room.  
  
  
  
Sally was in a state of disbelief as the words came from her communicator. She turned to fire upon several SwatBots. The second wave of Freedom Fighters had joined the struggle, and as expected, Robotnik's forces were falling back.  
  
"What! We can't retreat! We're winning! What happened over there?"  
  
"Sally! Please retreat now!"  
  
"But Tails, we're."  
  
A new voice came over the radio.  
  
"Sally, you heard the guy, RETREAT!"  
  
She sighed. It was Sonic that had spoken.  
  
"Roger."  
  
She switched the frequency to encompass the entire army. With reluctance, she spoke:  
  
"This is an order! Retreat!"  
  
She repeated the command to retreat several times over as she ran. Freedom Fighters turned to look at their princess, questioning the surprise retreat, but they obeyed. It was a sad time for giving up the fight as thousands of Fighters thundered across the ground, to return to the sanctuary of the forest.  
  
  
  
Far above the ground, Hannah completed her spell. She raised her arms once, and then brought them down to strike the emerald with both fists. An infinitesimal silence followed.  
  
  
  
"She has completed the spell. Get down!" called out Lazer, who stopped flying to crouch upon the ground and form an aura of Chaos energy around him. The others halted to join him under the protective dome.  
  
  
  
"What in the name of Destiny? She ordered a retreat!" sputtered Sir John, his blade lashing out to dispatch robots that came near to his king. The King, in his armour, was also surprised and dismayed at the news.  
  
"It must be for good reason. The infiltration unit has perhaps seen something that would have cause for retreat. I trust my daughter!"  
  
The two were still dashing toward safety.  
  
  
  
The front of the army had barely reached the forest, when the sky became dark, and an ominous shadow flowed from the tower. Terror filled the hearts of many as the shadow blotted out light and enveloped the ground and sky with its darkness. Then, to the shock of many, their physical strength began to fail. They felt immensely weary and fatigued, as if they had not slept for several months. Many stumbled and fell. White, ethereal wisps of light emerged from each individual, whether or not they had fallen, and these wisps took to the air and flew toward the tower, disappearing inside of it. Cries of pain and death were heard, as those who fell were overtaken by the robots and executed. Only those of very strong will, or those who were nearest to the forest, managed to escape this deadly wave of darkness that ate away their strength.  
  
"I'm. so. tired!" panted Sally. She faltered in her step, and fell to the ground, welcoming sleep. Death would not claim her then, because an arm lifted her. It was Bunnie, who was also feeling the draining effects of the spell. Her robotic legs and arms were unaffected, however, and it was with determination that she carried Sally to safety, away from the blood stained battlegrounds.  
  
"Y'all shouldn't worry, Sally-girl, I never let you out of mah sights!"  
  
She forged onward, and thought of Sonic with the others who were actually inside the tower itself, closest to the deadening wave. She wondered what kind of fate they had met. 


	6. Forced Retreat

Chapter 6- Forced Retreat  
  
Most of the army had returned to the city to regroup and heal wounds, or bury the dead. Many sad days had befallen Knothole, and this was one of them.  
  
Wherever you went in the village, from the tallest tree to the deepest basement, you could hear the groans of the injured and dying. The dark wave had taken a heavy toll upon the army, weakening its soldiers so much that they were very easy targets for the robots. Few had felt as downcast as they did now, especially the workers in the hospital. They had a bloody task, and set about it with grim determination. Many had volunteered to help in the hospital and the huts where the wounded were taken, even the walking wounded. It was a sad day indeed.  
  
Sonic, Mina, Lazer and Tails and had not died. The aura that Lazer had provided took the brunt of the evil force, but even so, the group had suffered. Tails had taken it the worst; he had been rendered unconscious from the severe drain of energy. After the ordeal, they had to cut a swath through the enemy lines, Mina carrying Tails, all the way back to their village. Lazer and Sonic had spatters of crude oil on them, and dust clung to their fur.  
  
"Oh, Goddess," whispered Mina, her eyes and ears filled with the torment around her. She and the others were speechless. That feline and her emerald had wrought incredible amounts of destruction. As they stood gazing, Sally ran up to them, her hair in a mess, her hands and body stained with blood.  
  
"You're all alive," she gasped, brushing back her hair and leaving a red mark upon it. She took a moment to catch her breath.  
  
"Please, there are so many injured people, you've got to help,"  
  
She stopped short and noticed Tails.  
  
"Tails!" she cried fearfully. Mina was cradling the blue-coated fox in her arms, his eyes shut and his head lolling back.  
  
"He's just sleeping," Mina reassured her. The squirrel let out her breath in a whoosh, relieved.  
  
"Okay. I'll take him. Sonic, please help the others!"  
  
She scurried off to another hut with the fox in her arms. Sonic nodded.  
  
"Right. We've got to help these guys."  
  
"Straight to the ER for me," sighed Lazer, and he floated to the hospital.  
  
"Is he a surgeon, too?" asked Mina.  
  
"Five chaos emeralds. Go figure what he can do. Anyway, I gotta go."  
  
"I'll come help."  
  
They were fighting a new battle now, to save lives. They tried hard to ignore the frustration and shame brought about by their premature defeat.  
  
  
  
King Acorn sat upon his throne, and a guard brought the visual communicator to him. He switched it on, and set the frequency. After the static cleared he heard a voice, and the face of the city's mayor appeared.  
  
"My King! I am glad that you are uninjured," he said hastily.  
  
"Spare me the greetings. I want to know your situation."  
  
"There are a countless numbers of injured, and the death toll is approximately two thousand, five hundred."  
  
The King dropped the device, and its screen cracked upon the floor. The mayor's face faded.  
  
"Two thousand. five hundred." he said in a shuddering voice. His face visibly went pale. Sir John, standing nearby as usual, was concerned.  
  
"Sire! Are you ill?"  
  
"Please, Sir John," he sighed, waving his hand, "Please. clear the court."  
  
The royal guard looked worried, but obeyed.  
  
"Yes, majesty."  
  
All who were in His royal presence left quickly, and the doors boomed shut. The King stared forward blankly.  
  
"So many."  
  
Tears welled in his eyes. The King was grieved for the loss of so many, and thought of the families who had lost a father, mother, child or even husband and wife. Then the tears fell, and he bowed his head. It was not acceptable that he should cry, but it all weighed upon him: the ruler of thousands, who had lost thousands of subjects. How could he not feel grieved that so many lives had been brutally taken? One of the doors slowly swung open.  
  
"Dear? Are you in here alone?" It was Alicia. She saw her husband with bowed head, and tears dripping from the end of his nose. She ascended the steps and simply hugged him, for she knew that words could not comfort him. He returned the embrace, a sad King, with a caring Queen.  
  
"Two thousand five hundred soldiers from the city died, Alicia."  
  
"They will be honoured, Max," she said in her most reassuring voice. She did not tell him that more than one hundred fighters of Knothole had died. Maybe more from the city had died because they didn't have same experience that those of Knothole did in battle. She did not care about who was or was not experienced, though, what she did care about was the families of those who had died and this man she held in her arms. 


	7. The Dark Wave

Chapter 7- The Dark Wave  
  
"Why aren't they all dead? Less than three thousand of them fell, out of the twelve thousand! I thought that you would kill those damned creatures and rid them from my life! Why, Nyress? Did you not train enough?"  
  
She scowled at him.  
  
"Watch your mouth around me, Robotnik. Sit down."  
  
He was pacing up and down in front of her, up and down.  
  
"No! You disappointed me and-"  
  
"I said to SIT!" she commanded, the last word echoing unnaturally. He threw his great bulk upon a nearby chair, and it creaked under his weight. He muttered to himself.  
  
"Good," she purred, and crossed her legs.  
  
"But, why didn't you decimate them like you said you would?" he persisted.  
  
"Hmph. You worry too much, Robotnik. I did not fail to ensure their collective death. Let me explain."  
  
She brushed back her cape and leaned forward, looking into his eyes with her own. The scientist began to sweat.  
  
"I displayed the capabilities of the Black Emerald and my skill. Did I not defeat the red hedgehog, which could not even break my defense? The spell I cast upon those Freedom Fighters is called the Spirit Bond. Tell me," and she leaned backward, "did you notice the white lights coming out of each person, and flying toward the black emerald?"  
  
"Uh, those, yes, I did."  
  
"Those lights were fragments of the soul of each Freedom Fighter. Each fragment broke away under the influence of the spell, and was captured within the Black Emerald. Here's the interesting part: within five days, the fragments of soul will be absorbed by the Black Emerald, and each person who lost that piece of themselves will die."  
  
Understanding glowed in Robotnik's face.  
  
"So. five days, and they'll die. Is it really that simple?"  
  
"Yes, my worrisome egghead, it is."  
  
Robotnik chuckled, not because she had insulted his baldness.  
  
"I like your style. Won't it be fun to watch them expire like bad cheese?"  
  
"Yes, I believe to you it would be pleasant."  
  
While he chuckled and mused to himself about how they would die, her thoughts were occupied with what she had seen in the emerald. As each portion of soul had entered the emerald, she had seen the face of its owner: the King, his son and daughter, Sonic, Tails, that annoying lavender haired girl and countless others. but not the face of the bearer of five emeralds.  
  
"Come to me whenever you wish, insolent hedgehog, I will crush you." 


	8. Red vs. Black

Chapter 8: Red vs. Black  
  
Sonic and Mina zipped back and forth helping the medics. It startled some patients when either one suddenly appeared next to their bed and was gone in an instant, but speed was necessary. Tails was still unconscious, and Rotor had stopped by to visit, along with Nicko and Jonathan. Tails' large eyes were closed and a clean blanket kept him warm. His blue coat was folded over the bedstead.  
  
"He's going to recuperate?" asked Jonathan. Tails was younger than him, but still, the orange fox was a great teacher of mechanics.  
  
"Yeah, he'll pull through. He's just exhausted, the nurse said," Rotor assured.  
  
"Our EMP helped a lot of people. I think he'll be happy to know about that," said Nicko, and pulled the blanket more snugly over Tails.  
  
  
  
"Please, lady, I can help."  
  
He was looking up at her, a brown wolf that was fully one foot taller than him. She wore a nurse's uniform and a veil that hid the lower half of her face. She was also barring the entrance to the ER room.  
  
"I am sorry, Sir, but you cannot expect to enter the Emergency Room without taking a proper bath. You have oil on your fur and dust is practically falling from you."  
  
Lazer narrowed his eyes. She stared down at him, as if daring him to try and get past her. She did know that he had miraculous healing abilities, and possessed five Chaos Emeralds, but rules were rules. For one hour, the sudden influx of patients had kept her extraordinarily busy. Many had died during that hour, and she was in absolutely no mood to argue with a filthy hedgehog.  
  
"Please move along, Sir. You cannot enter this ward unless you are spotless." He wondered for an instant why she was wearing a veil, and decided to act upon that.  
  
"What did you say? Your voice is muffled."  
  
"I said."  
  
He snatched the cloth from her face. It moved down beneath her snout. Two ugly scars were displayed, a jagged one that run from her left cheek to her lower lip, and a burn scar upon her right cheek. She promptly placed her large paws over the area.  
  
"So, you also have those."  
  
He removed his gloves, and looked down. On both hands, on the fingers, palm and wrist were cruel scars, crisscrossing the flesh. He had received those scars in childhood.  
  
"I have healing abilities, but these never healed. Only the Walkers know why," and he looked up at her. "Lady, you shouldn't hide those scars."  
  
"And why not? Don't you know the shame I feel from these things?" she said, her lower lip trembling. She moved to replace the veil. Lazer held her arm with his one of scarred hands.  
  
"You should take pride in them, because they show experience."  
  
"Experience?" she almost laughed. "And what pride? The robots did this to me when I was a cub, and since then I felt ashamed that I could do nothing."  
  
Lazer held up another arm and ran a finger along the jagged scar. She shuddered.  
  
"Please remove your hands."  
  
He did so.  
  
"Lady, don't feel bad about having scars. They are more than damaged flesh. They're proud flesh, actually, since it means you saw battle and lived through it."  
  
"I still don't like them."  
  
"Of course you don't. Now, please direct me to some showers, so that I can be 'spotless', and help these good people."  
  
After Lazer had walked away from her, toward the showers, she replaced the veil and continued her work. The temerity of him to touch her like that! She should have slapped him when he had held her arm, or touched her scar. Still, she was reassured that he would help the patients with whatever mysterious abilities he had.  
  
  
  
The next day, a mass funeral was held in Knothole's graveyard. The air was frosty, and one's breath came out in a mist. Many new graves had been dug, and many tombstones had been hewn. The dead were already within their graves. King Acorn stood upon the pulpit and addressed the large, mournful gathering with heartfelt words spoken into a microphone.  
  
"Soldiers that fall in battle are never forgotten for their bravery." he begun, and Elias held his sister's hand tighter, ".I, myself, am a soldier, and I cherish the memory of my comrades. All who sacrificed body and life for our cause will be greatly honoured." Mina, with Sonic standing head bowed beside her, took out a handkerchief and blew her nose, ".The memory of the one hundred and fifty nine Freedom Fighters of Knothole that gave the ultimate gift, their very lives, in fighting for freedom, will be carved within all our hearts on this day." Nicko, standing with Rotor, Jonathan and Tails, bowed his head also, ".The fallen now rest in peace with Destiny, whom I am sure has told them, 'Well done, my children'. As living children of Destiny, we must respect their sacrifice, and bring justice to what they died for." Bunnie drew closer to Antoine, and rested her head on his shoulder, allowing a few teardrops to fall on his uniform, ".I pray that we will all have the courage to face our fears after this day, and help to make Mobius a world that they would be proud of."  
  
Thus ended his speech, and he descended the pulpit to rejoin his family. He had written that speech himself, but he knew that it did not do justice to the memory of the fallen. A priest went up next and droned something about life after death. After which, the somber service was ended. The crowd talked quietly among themselves and shuffled away to their homes or to their workstations. A single figure, apart from the rest, departed from the village and went among the trees. This discrete vanishing act did not go unnoticed by Sonic, however, who whispered to Mina that he had some business to take care of and would be back soon. She agreed to tell the others, and Sonic gave chase, his jacket flapping.  
  
  
  
He had sharpened the blade, and it hung sheathed on his back. He was going to use the sharp edge if necessary, but figured that he would only need the blunt side. He had no qualms about injuring her, but killing her was unacceptable.  
  
"I hope you know that I'm coming," he thought, "because I want you to be ready for your last day in the dark."  
  
He would not sit and watch idly by as that cat gloated over her victory. He was not about to fight for revenge, but because he had felt an evil so black that it had no shades of gray between. Robotnik himself appeared holy in comparison to the evilness of the Dark Jewel in Nyress' possession. He would end her charade with it soon. But what should he do with the emerald afterward? Surely there was a way to destroy it, or at least bind its darkness for all eternity? He did not know of a way or someone that could help, but he wished that he did.  
  
Sonic had no trouble in keeping up with Lazer, who was flying between trees at a great speed as if he needed to be somewhere very urgently. He was careful to stay out of hearing range, his footfalls only heard by himself. Understandably, he wanted to know why Lazer was heading for Robotropolis, for it was most definitely the direction in which he was headed.  
  
Minutes later he was out of the trees, and the wasteland stretched out before him. He wasted no time and used a turbo boost (pointing his arms behind him, and firing power beams to add a cool 100 mile-per-hour speed boost to his normal flying speed) to enter the robotic city. Air defenses noticed a red flash above them, and went in pursuit, but Robotnik had not designed his air defense to keep up with such a high velocity target. The large tower loomed tall, and he pointed one fist at its black surface. The walls of metal gave way to the blast of energy and he landed inside, illuminating the room with his presence.  
  
"Where are you, Nyress? I returned like I promised."  
  
"Call me Hannah. You're not going to find me in there. I felt your energy output like a warm summer day before you even entered Robotropolis."  
  
The feline was floating just outside the entrance he had made, her reflective robe was flapping about her, and she was actually wearing some warm clothing: a bodysuit composed of leather-like material, with a large brown winter coat draped about her shoulders. The emerald hung in mid air beside its mistress.  
  
"A summer day, eh?"  
  
He turned to face her. Something that resembled affection was in her eyes, but it was masked by the scorn she openly displayed.  
  
"Please, we cannot have our dispute in this tiny space. My land lord doesn't like his property damaged."  
  
He poised to take off, and she reversed her direction in the air. Lazer chased her toward the outskirts of Robotropolis.  
  
  
  
Sonic doubted that he should follow Lazer even to the city, but a short while after the red bolt had disappeared into the city, he came flying after a sphere of darkness. Upon closer inspection from behind an outcropping of rock, Sonic recognized the feline girl he had seen yesterday. She was wearing decent clothing, but still, she had a striking figure, even when observed from that distance. He stayed behind the rocks to observe the momentous dispute.  
  
  
  
"So, my dear hedgehog, you came back to me. Why?"  
  
"Yesterday I couldn't fully concentrate on the battle. Now that no one is around here to distract me, I can concentrate on defeating you."  
  
"How silly of you! You almost collapsed yesterday from a single energy blast, so now you think that by wasting more energy, you can overcome the Black Emerald's power?"  
  
"You don't know how long I can last when I try. If I had used my full potential, Sonic and the others would have been burned to a crisp even if they were a hundred feet away."  
  
"Aren't you the one to boast! Very well, angry red one, I believe the phrase is, 'Give me your best shot!'"  
  
"Before I do," he interrupted, "What other purpose did that wave of yours serve, other than weakening the army? I saw some white things come out of the others."  
  
"Well, I explained to the 'land lord' already, so I'll say just this. In four days, everyone that was touched by the dark wave will die. No exceptions, and no mercy whatsoever."  
  
Lazer's eyes widened. She had declared the doom of the entire Freedom Fighter legion without a trace of interest. Few had so little conscience.  
  
"Well, expect no mercy from me either, Nyress."  
  
"Please, call me Hannah!"  
  
Lazer reached behind and drew out the samurai sword. Its blade gleamed a menacing blue.  
  
"Meet my little friend."  
  
"Please!" she protested yet again, "Refrain from quoting lines from movies, I honestly have no patience for that."  
  
All silliness aside, Lazer lowered the blade and pointed it to his right. A red flame engulfed the metal, as a red flame also engulfed him. He stood resplendent in the Red Emerald flame, ready to fight her.  
  
"Doom, doom, doom, I can hear your thoughts so clearly," she hummed. He was not standing there, but a dust cloud was preceding a red comet that blazed toward her. She watched him approach, smiling all the while, and then he struck. A tremendous shudder ran throughout her and the shield as the blade connected, smashing with such force that it appeared to have dented the protective sphere. An attack that could have reduced boulders to dust merely pushed Hannah and her emerald to one side, unharmed due to the barrier's unbelievable strength. She brought up one paw, palm facing outward, and the air became dark around Lazer. He felt a sudden drain on his constitution, but it was not severe. He smirked.  
  
"Very good. I think that was the most powerful attack with my sword."  
  
"How disappointing. Do continue."  
  
He sheathed the sword, and punched his fists together. Then, he leaped high off the ground with a shout, and fell earthward, inches away from the shield, and plunged his fist into the dusty earth. The ground shattered around it, and air turned molten once more, as the Ring of Chaos was formed. Great gouts of flames erupted from fissures in the ground, and a colossal explosion of chaos energy struck the barrier. The foundations of the earth shook and the air was set ablaze with the fury of the attack. He pulled out his fist and leaped backward, watching the bright flames.  
  
Hannah, smiling within her shield, presented her hand and Lazer was weakened once more. She waved her arm and the inferno about her was extinguished.  
  
"I believe that you should quit while you're losing."  
  
"Losing? Hardly," he said through clenched teeth. He was feeling the effects of that dark wave, dulling his senses and causing fatigue. He drew his sword once more.  
  
"So help me, Ancient Walkers, I will win!"  
  
She watched him rise into the air; glowing red with sparks of electricity around him. She watched him point his blade downward and fall with a terrific rush. The blade was imbued with chaos and electrical energy, so heated that if Lazer had not been holding it, the metal would have vaporized. He aimed for the very center of the barrier, and the pointed end of the blade hit home. Time stood still as he waited for the blade to penetrate and end her life. That moment in time was not to be.  
  
A negative reaction had taken place between the malevolent energy of the shield and the Chaos energy of the sword. A searing, crackling field of red energy mixed with the black energy was formed in a pulsating ball. Those two energies did not mix, and they exploded away from each other in a discharge of tremendous magnitude. Lazer, Hannah, the emerald and the sword were tossed by the shockwaves of the blast. The barrier had shattered, but the ground had been utterly destroyed, with new gorges in the terrain and craters that would never be wiped out from the Mobian earth.  
  
Sonic was hiding behind the rocks, wonderstruck so far by the 'very awesome' battle. After seeing that critical mass of energy forming, he had had the sense to duck and cover. After the cacophony of sound had ended, he cautiously spied upon the two combatants.  
  
She was airborne once more, but he was on the ground, being drained by the black wave. His skin was bloody and thick with dust. Two of his head quills had snapped when he crashed into the earth after the last explosion. He was in pain, not only from the damaged quills but because the Chaos Emeralds within him had reacted adversely to the energy of the Black Emerald. He ached all over, feeling as if his muscles were about to rip apart.  
  
"You still think that you can defeat me?" she asked indifferently, landing at his feet.  
  
"Yes. Good will always triumph," he managed to say.  
  
She wove a spell about him, and brought him to a standing position. His eyes were dark and he refused to look at her.  
  
"Poor boy. You're grimy with dirt and your own blood. I'm no longer afraid of you, bearer of Five Emeralds. You, with all your show-off abilities, can't surmount my mastery. Oh, if only you had mastered the power given to you. Then, it would have been me stretched out on the ground, and not you."  
  
"I will master their power," he said in a strained voice.  
  
"But not today, and perhaps never. It must have harmed your ego to be beaten by a girl. I will kill you soon, but first, there are things I want to know about you."  
  
She caused the emerald to float directly above Lazer. She placed a paw on each side of his head, and closed her eyes, chanting something silently. A dark aura formed around them, and Lazer heard her voice speaking within his mind!  
  
"Do not resist. The mind and body are linked, and your body is exhausted. Make this easy for both of us."  
  
When she tried harder to access his memories, she was assailed by images and the emotions of the war he had fought with his countrymen against Robotnik. Anger, hatred, defiance, courage. bodies lying in the street, people running for shelter, children crying. then the bomb that had destroyed Adrax and all of Xadra at once. The unearthly anger he had felt nearly delivered a mental shock to Hannah, who tried to break away from the horrid memories and his anger. He held her there, giving her the full experience of what he had felt and what he had seen. She began to gasp for air in the outside world, feeling her heart race and her throat constrict as horror upon horror was piled upon her mind. With one mighty effort, she broke the mental link and opened her eyes. She gasped long and loud, and her breathing was regular again.  
  
"You are interesting, Lazer," she purred, and stroked his chest with a paw. The razor-sharp claws out and she gashed his skin with five scratches. He did not flinch from the treatment. Blood poured into her hand and she raised the liquid to her nose.  
  
"So, this is what the blood of a Chaos Emerald bearer smells like. Very healthy and red indeed! I suppose those emeralds keep you in excellent health. There are still some memories of your past you keep hidden, Lazer."  
  
She placed her bloodstained paws upon his head again, and this time he presented little resistance to her searching mind. She saw and learned many things from his past, and after she had thoroughly violated his mind she came back to the real world.  
  
"Rebecca. Coriander, is it? The girl you loved. So, that is why you are still sane. Her memory brings great comfort, does it not?"  
  
He closed his eyes and his head drooped.  
  
"Don't feel sad," she purred, and ran a finger along one of the tears in his skin, "You will never lose her while she's in your heart."  
  
She stuck a claw into the wound, and this time he did flinch as the blood flowed freely. She dripped the blood upon his forehead and watched it slide down his face.  
  
"I will kiss you goodbye, Lazer. Rest in peace with the Walkers or whoever it is that you believe in."  
  
She kissed him on the right side of his chest, once upon his left cheek and lastly upon his forehead, licking the blood she had placed there. He nearly stifled with rage. That triple combination of kisses was the special one Rebecca had given to him to show her love! It was supposed to be their secret! But he could only growl at Hannah, exhausted as he was, as she placed a paw on his chest again. She said a single arcane word and a spell was cast. His body was thrown, riding on the shockwave of the concentrated blast. He screamed loudly as he flew hundreds of feet into the air and far, far away into the Great Forest. Hannah held up her hand in a gesture of farewell, then hovered the emerald and flew back to Robotropolis.  
  
"Good Goddess," Sonic murmured, stupefied by the scene. He felt his stomach constrict as he watched her leave, for she was slurping the blood off her paws. He saw and heard Lazer fall into the forest, and ran as fast as he could to help him. He hoped that his red furred ally had not died, at least not immediately. He would need to carry Lazer to the hospital, or else. he did not want to think of the 'or else'. 


	9. The Elders speak

Chapter 9- The Elders speak  
  
About half an hour had passed. Sonic had waited for Lazer to regain consciousness before trying to move the battered warrior.  
  
"Bloody hell," Lazer muttered, as he looked down at the scratches upon his chest. Sonic was helping him walk, with his shoulder supporting Lazer's arm.  
  
"Man, she whipped you bad," Sonic commented.  
  
"She is very powerful. That dark emerald is the only source of her power. Get rid of that, and she'd be helpless as a. kitten," he grumbled in a ragged voice.  
  
"Whoa, hold on, you mean IF we get the emerald away."  
  
"Hrm, whatever. Ugh, my body hurts like hell."  
  
"I know, you knocked over two and a half trees when you landed."  
  
"Oh, damn it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"My sword. I think I lost it."  
  
"Dude, be glad that you didn't lose your life. If you didn't have the emeralds to heal you this quickly, you'd be extra sap for the forest."  
  
"What a bundle of joy you are. I lost my sword, Sonic, it was given by my sensei."  
  
"Sorry about that, but I can go look for it later if you want. Right now, you're going to Knothole's hospital."  
  
"No!" Lazer protested, and refused to budge.  
  
"What the heck?" He stopped to listen to his wounded companion.  
  
"Sonic, I cannot be seen in Knothole like this."  
  
"What's wrong with that? Hundreds of guys were injured yesterday; it won't make a difference if one more is added."  
  
"You don't understand. I hate to admit it, but my Chaos Emerald power has earned me a reputation among folk in Knothole. They believe that I am one of the most powerful Freedom Fighters in existence. If they saw me busted up this badly, they'll get very scared."  
  
"Geez, you're right!" Sonic realized. The very last thing the citizens of Knothole needed was another sign that the enemy was extraordinarily powerful. It would destroy morale and fighting spirit as quickly as he could eat a chilidog.  
  
"I can go on my own. Thanks for following me back there."  
  
"You knew I was following you?"  
  
"Your body gives off unique energy readings."  
  
"Nice to know," he smirked. He lifted Lazer off of his shoulder and the red hedgehog began to float by himself.  
  
"Oh yeah, I have some unpleasant news... Have the Council of Action ready at the castle by eight P.M., but bring only the royal family and yourself. I'll be presentable by then."  
  
"Okay, dude. Later then."  
  
"Later."  
  
They sped off, Sonic to Knothole, and Lazer to the waterfall.  
  
  
  
Back at Knothole, Sonic sought out Sally among the huts. He found her in the third one he visited, and she was bandaging the legs of an injured raccoon.  
  
"Sal, I have a message."  
  
"Before you do, Mina told me that you were going on an errand. What errand?"  
  
"Aren't you the pushy one!" he protested, but his mind desperately thought of something. He could not tell her that he had followed Lazer, and watched him be defeated by a single black cat with a mean emerald.  
  
"Uh, um, reconnaissance around Robotropolis."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Geez, to search for new angles of attack, what do you think? Anyway, Lazer requested that you and the rest of the family meet him at eight P.M. for a council of action at the castle."  
  
"Lazer? Since when does he want to have a meeting?"  
  
"Since he." but he caught himself. "Uh, since he found out Robotnik's secret for the black wave that floored half the army."  
  
"Really?" she sounded interested. "Fine. I'll do that after putting on some extra bandages."  
  
"You need help?"  
  
"Well, no."  
  
True to his character, Sonic acted before she could answer. She saw him bounce about the room in a blue shadow for several seconds, and the wind acted up quite a bit. He finished his rounds, and presented her with two empty rolls of bandages. Her hair was in disarray from the gusts of wind he had created.  
  
"Here ya go, Sal. Now you can tell your family! I have to go see my Mom and Dad- Mina may be causing them some trouble."  
  
He ran from the hut, a grin on his face, while Sally rolled her eyes, pushed back her hair, and went to check the patients' bandages. Each one of them was secured and sturdy.  
  
"Sonic, you. wonderful man," she laughed to herself.  
  
  
  
The brown, lupine nurse, still wearing her veil, was returning home. The day before, she had told her son, Jonathan that she would be sleeping in the hospital. So, she finally returned home on the second day after the retreat.  
  
"I'm home at last," she announced as she entered the door.  
  
"Hey, Mom, you're back," Jonathan said. He put aside the miniature CD player and went over to greet her.  
  
"Stephen's by his friend. How was work?" he hugged her warmly.  
  
"Tiring. I had to stay in the hospital last night because there were so many patients! I hope that never happens again."  
  
She reached behind her neck and untied the veil. Jonathan knew that his Mom's face wasn't very attractive due to the scars she had. It is to say the least that he was shocked when she removed the veil.  
  
"Muh- Mom!"  
  
"What?"  
  
He could only stutter.  
  
"Y- your face! How did you do that?"  
  
"Do what?" she asked again.  
  
"Mom, the scar on your left cheek. It's gone!"  
  
"WHAT!"  
  
She rushed over to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Not only had the scar disappeared, but the fur had grown back! She kept rubbing her paw over the non-existent scar, refusing to believe it had vanished.  
  
"Oh, my Goddess," she murmured, eyes wide with disbelief. Jonathan came in and also looked at her face.  
  
"The other scar's still there. Mom, how'd the other scar disappear?"  
  
She was also confused. When had this miracle occurred?  
  
"You shouldn't hide those scars, lady."  
  
The words of that red hedgehog came back to her.  
  
"He did this?" she whispered to herself.  
  
"What?" her son said.  
  
"You should take pride in them, because they show experience."  
  
Those words also came back to her. He had healed the scar! That was why he had run his finger along it!  
  
"Someone healed it, Jon. I don't know why he got rid of one and let the other one stay."  
  
"He?" Jonathan repeated.  
  
Then she realized. He had told her not to be ashamed. He had given her some beauty back, but didn't heal the other indelible mark of past experience, not that she would be ashamed, but proud.  
  
"Wherever you are, thanks," she said gratefully. Then, she went to tell her husband, who had come out of his study and was looking at her curiously from the main room.  
  
"What's wrong with your face?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong, but something is right," she replied, and pointed to her left cheek.  
  
Jonathan noticed as she dropped the veil into the trash bin.  
  
  
  
It was past seven thirty. Medics were still on duty in hospitals, and many families were still grieving by the graveyard or in their homes. The sky was devoid of clouds, and a crescent moon smiled down upon the forest.  
  
The Council of Action room within Knothole castle contained a circular oak table, five meters in diameter, with padded chairs ringed about it. Several windows hewn out of the stony walls admitted moonlight into the room. The glass shutters were closed, though, as it was unbearably cold at eight o'clock that night. Many torches had been lit on the walls, and the large fireplace contained dancing flames.  
  
The royal family and Sonic were seated on these chairs, waiting for Lazer to arrive. The royal family sat facing the doors, and Sonic had his place three chairs to the left of the King. King Acorn leaned over to Sonic.  
  
"Do you know why Lazer has arranged this meeting?"  
  
"He told me earlier that he needed to tell some 'unpleasant news'."  
  
"Does he plan to give any pleasant news at all?"  
  
"Not to my knowledge, Majesty."  
  
The tall cedar doors parted and the guards admitted Lazer into the room. Sonic, whom this morning had carried a limping Lazer, worn out, soiled and bloody with several quills snapped, was taken aback at how perfectly normal Lazer appeared. He and his quills stood erect and undamaged, his skin and fur were clean, his eyes were in their habitual frown and his voice was strong and confident.  
  
"Your majesties. Sonic. I bring news."  
  
He strode toward the table and took a seat opposite to the royal family.  
  
"You may continue, Lazer," said the King.  
  
"Thank you. I will keep this message short. The course of action we take over the next four days will mean either victory or complete defeat for the Freedom Fighters as a whole. You were not informed, but I did battle with the person responsible for the wave of darkness that weakened the entire army."  
  
"A person? Other than Robotnik?" inquired Elias.  
  
"Yes. Robotnik has a new helper by the name of Hannah Nyress. She is a black feline who possesses a black Chaos Emerald. By using this black emerald, she created the dark wave and weakened our forces."  
  
All except Sonic were surprised.  
  
"Sonic, you should have told us yesterday," Sally said. Sonic shrugged.  
  
"Everyone was so busy yesterday, with all the injured people, I couldn't find time to stop and explain what we saw that day."  
  
"It does not matter now. Please continue," Queen Alicia prompted. Lazer explained where she had come from, what she had done and what she was doing now. The King sighed.  
  
"So. She is also a murderer. She may be wanted for crimes on the island from which she came. Now she wants to wipe us out, the Freedom Fighters. I may never understand the way which some minds work."  
  
"I share your sentiments, your Majesty," Lazer sucked in a breath and continued. "As I said, I battled with her. Her power surpassed mine by a great deal. Not even my most powerful attacks could break the magic barrier she created. Although, when I used my sword and gave it Chaos energy, the shield was broken. Then she used a spell to weaken me. in other words, she won."  
  
Their faces fell. Lazer resumed his monologue.  
  
"Before battle, Nyress told me that the dark wave that hit the army would, within the next four days, kill everyone and anyone who was affected by it."  
  
Eyes widened in horror. Four days! Four days, and numerous thousands would perish! Lazer explained how they would be killed: when the pieces of souls were 'eaten' by the Emerald.  
  
"May the Goddess have mercy.Lazer, surely there must be a way to defeat her?" the King Maximillian asked.  
  
"I have thought of one way. When I first joined you, years ago, I used fifty Golden Rings to enhance my power and destroy the flying battalion that attacked Knothole. I suggest that fifty rings be gathered, and that I face Nyress once more. With their power enhancing my own, I believe that I can overwhelm her sorcery and, possibly, destroy her as well."  
  
Sonic sat forward and slapped his hands on the table, eyeing Lazer.  
  
"What? That means your vow will be broken!"  
  
Lazer turned his eyes toward Sonic, and his head drooped.  
  
"Correct. Upon my father's grave, I vowed to never kill another person. But," and he raised his head with conviction, "for the sake of the Freedom Fighters, I will break my vow."  
  
"You are an honorable Freedom Fighter, Lazer. Your promise will not be broken without just cause," King Acorn declared.  
  
"This plan may be successful, but it leaves the black emerald to think about," Sally reminded them.  
  
"True. We need to find an expert of Chaos Emeralds, who knows a thing or two about handling an evil one," Elias suggested. Lazer nodded.  
  
"The Floating Island may have such a person. Since the Master Emerald resides there, there must be someone who can handle the Black Emerald."  
  
"I would say that I'll go ask Knuckles, but he's sort of inconvenienced," Sonic said, thinking about his unfortunate friend. He wondered where Knuckles had disappeared to, a long time ago. Not even Julie Su or the Chaotix knew anything about his whereabouts.  
  
"As you say. I have doubts, that no one but that feline can deal with this evil Chaos Emerald."  
  
"You assume correctly, King Maximillian Acorn. No one of your land can control the Dark Jewel."  
  
Everyone in the room jumped to their feet, Sonic knocking his chair over as he did so. The voice had spoken to them from the eastern end of the room, but no one, not even Lazer, detected any sort of presence.  
  
Four figures began to form by the eastern wall, beneath a window. They materialized into semi-transparent images (semi-transparent, because the torchlight cast no shadow) of a large, gray-furred bear, a smaller, dark brown mole, a green iguana, and the fourth was a black cat. All were ancient men, seemingly older than the stones that had built the castle. Their great age could plainly be seen on each of their worn faces. They wore foreign clothing consisting of various coloured cloths draped about their bodies and tied to their waist. The image of the bear stepped forward and spoke. It was the same voice they had heard a few moments ago.  
  
"Do not be afraid of us. We are visions that represent the elders of an island, the same island that Hannah Nyress fled. She is guilty of murder, and theft of what we consider to be the most potent source of evil in all of Mobius. We have decided to appear to you in this manner so that we can help you."  
  
The bear bowed and stepped backward, as the mole stepped forward. King Acorn and his wife exchanged glances, but the four younger individuals had their eyes fixated upon the apparitions. The mole spoke in a thin but compelling voice:  
  
"Hannah Nyress has cast a spell that will not only doom your Freedom Fighters but the rest of the world as we know it. She has called it "The Spirit Bond" but its proper name is "The Harbinger of Ageless Despair." When the Dark Jewel absorbs all the portions of souls, the thing, which the Dark Jewel has sealed for numerous millennia, shall be freed again! This enemy, once unleashed, will be utterly unstoppable. It will send the brave and courageous cowering in hopeless terror."  
  
His warning completed, the mole bowed out as the illusion of the iguana went forth. His reptilian tongue over-pronounced the 's' sound in some words:  
  
"I will try to keep the explanation ss-short, as we have little time. There was a period in his-sstory that has been erased from memory, except ours-ss. During that period, there came from the heavens-ss a creature of unimaginable power. We believe that an alien force unleashed it upon Mobius- ss. This creature fed upon the planet's-ss natural force of magic, along with the energy of Chaos-ss Emeralds-ss. It gained a power so vas-sst that some believed not even Destiny Hers-sself could defeat it. In their mercy, the Ancient Walkers-ss themselves appeared before two brothers-ss. They gave the brothers-ss a riddle, and disappeared. When the brothers-ss solved that riddle, they gained a cataclys-ssmic power, which they used to defeat the evil creature. In the creature's moment of weakness-ss, the Ancient Walkers-ss appeared once more and created a Black Chaos-ss emerald. They sealed the creature within the Emerald for all eternity. The Brothers-ss were then taken into the heavens by the Walkers-ss, and never returned to Mobius-ss. Many ages later, we found this new Chaos-ss Emerald and tapped its powerful magic, using it to create our island and rule its populus-ss. Now, we fear that the Emerald will shatter and release-ss the creature once more."  
  
Its story ended, the iguana drew back and finally, the black cat addressed them.  
  
"I am Hannah's great, great-uncle. She was my great-nephew's apprentice, but now he is dead, and she has the Dark Jewel in her possession. She used its power to escape our magic, and now dwells with your enemy, Robotnik. By using a certain spell, she masked her location all these years. Now, by casting the powerful spell that we fear, she revealed her presence and we were able to locate her. But now, she has learned too much arcane sorcery for us to stop her. We had hoped that the Chaos Emerald bearer, the one who sits among you, would have mastered the enormous power given to him, but she defeated him easily."  
  
Lazer gave the ancient cat's illusion a look of disdain, but kept quiet.  
  
"That event holds no further significance. Only the power of the Brothers can save you, and Mobius, at this time. I will say the riddle that the Walkers gave to the Brothers, millenniums ago."  
  
Sally quickly pulled out her computer, Nicole, and placed her on Audio Record:  
  
" 'Amidst the dew, with roaring before them, Brothers stand upon circles, one each. Then, the way shall be revealed, with the colours of light above them.'"  
  
Sally pressed the 'pause' button as his voice faded. The he spoke once more:  
  
"Remember this riddle, and may the guidance of Destiny and the Ancient Walkers follow you always!"  
  
The phantoms faded from sight, and the room was silent. Sonic was the first who ventured to speak.  
  
"That went well."  
  
"To be sure," the King replied. Sally replayed the riddle.  
  
"Strange words," muttered Elias, stroking his chin.  
  
"Well, we need to find some brilliant people to figure that out," said Sonic.  
  
"Right. I'm going to visit the library to find anything about this, even if the period was erased from history."  
  
"I'll get Tails, Rotor, and those two guys they hang with. Should we meet now?"  
  
"No, tomorrow. If you tell them now, they may not be able to sleep. We'll figure this out tomorrow."  
  
Sally rose to leave.  
  
"I'll go with you," her mother said, and Elias also offered to accompany her to the library. The three of them left the room, followed by Sonic. The King stared across the table at Lazer, whom had his arms folded.  
  
"Were you truly willing to break your promise?"  
  
"I'm unsure, because if I started to kill, I don't think I'd be able to stop."  
  
Lazer raised himself, bowed to the King and took his leave. 


	10. The Riddle of the Walkers

Chapter 10: The Riddle of the Walkers  
  
The door was unlocked. He turned the handle and went inside, making sure to close the door to the frigid world outside. Wooden shelves of varying heights ranged from one corner of the room to the next, and all were piled with books. These books, the grand collection of Knothole's library, were concerned with history, fiction, fantasy and endless other topics. He remembered coming here often to study, when he had attended school. There were a few tables that stood in tidy rows, with padded chairs and reading lamps. There was one table that caught his interest, with at least fifteen thick books spread across its varnished surface, and one squirrel princess with her head resting against a book's open cover. She was fast asleep, and the lamp on her table was still on.  
  
Along with her brother and mother, he had spent almost three hours the night before scouring the library for any vestige of information concerning a black emerald or any mortal meeting with the Ancient Walkers. There were many myths about the Dark Jewel, but none said anything about it containing an evil entity. He had been the last person to leave, but she had refused to give up the search. Too much was at stake, he recalled her saying. He walked over to the table, switched the lamp off and gave her a light kiss. Her cheek was cold, having spent a night in a library with no heating unit.  
  
"Mm."  
  
"Wake up, Sal. It's morning."  
  
"But I studied all last night." she moaned softly, pushing herself off the table. She hissed in a breath, as the muscles and vertebrae in her back twanged in complaint.  
  
"Oh, oww, my back."  
  
She reached behind and pushed against her lower back, thrusting her chest forward and producing a faint cracking sound. She groaned for a while as she re-adjusted her spine. She finally opened her eyes and stretched.  
  
"Guh, I fell asleep."  
  
"No kidding, Sal."  
  
"Good morning, Sonic."  
  
"Same to you. Did you find anything else at all?"  
  
She waved her hand at the books around her.  
  
"Random notes about evil creatures, some unrelated babble, and one thing I found strange."  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"There are hardly any mortals that supposedly met with the Ancient Walkers, and did not go insane. I guess you were a lucky one."  
  
"Well, maybe, after the billionth ring. Anyway, we decided to meet by the Lake."  
  
"Hey, what time is it?"  
  
"Uh, a few minutes before seven, I think."  
  
"Already? Well, let's go."  
  
Sally drowsily got up from the chair. She shivered.  
  
"Did I sleep here last night?"  
  
"Yes. The temperature went down to ten degrees centigrade. Good thing you're furred."  
  
"But I'm still cold," she yawned.  
  
"Well, then, how about a morning hug?" he asked, and held open his arms. She smiled lazily and almost collapsed against him.  
  
"You need more sleep," he remarked, attempting to hold her from falling. Her entire body felt cold and shivery against his.  
  
"Heck, carry me, why don't you?"  
  
"Much obliged, Princess!"  
  
He swept her into his arms.  
  
"I was just joking!" she protested. I never did learn to keep my mouth shut around him, she thought hazily. The door opened and he carried her to the Lake of Rings.  
  
  
  
The clouds dimmed the sunlight, and the Lake was silent as usual. Trees did not overhang this particular lake; it was open to the gray clouds and blue sky. Tails, Rotor, Nicko, Jonathan, and Mina were sitting upon the grass by the Lake. Mina was trailing a finger upon its mirror surface, causing small ripples that went unbroken throughout the lake. It was close to winter, but frost was yet to form on its still surface. She looked up as Sonic arrived with Sally in his arms.  
  
"Hey, Sonic, good mornin'," she called. Sally was let down and she half- staggered toward them. She was still shaking off sleep, with one paw rubbing her eyes while the other held notes and Nicole.  
  
"Hey, everyone," she yawned, and sat down abruptly. Tails chuckled a bit.  
  
"Sonic, did you keep her up last night?"  
  
"Would have liked to, but she insisted upon studying by herself."  
  
"You use this place too much for meetings," an annoyed voice said. Lazer was standing upon the limb of a tree, watching them from the edge of the forest.  
  
"Come down here, Lazer. We can use your help," invited Sonic.  
  
"No, you can't. I have to find my sword today, broken or not."  
  
"Why? It's just a riddle we need to figure out. I want to talk to you, also!" insisted Mina. He held the power of five Chaos Emeralds and therefore he intrigued her. Lazer looked upward for a moment, sighed, and bounded off the branch. He halted inches from the ground, and then set foot upon the grass.  
  
"Just a riddle. Then you can help me search for the sword, if you want a conversation," he said to Mina. She shrugged.  
  
"So, what riddle did you get yesterday, Sally?" asked Rotor. Sally described the surprise visit by the four elders the day before. She did not tell them about the three days left for them to live. It had been decided that it was best that nobody else knew about the awful predicament that would befall the Freedom Fighters. Tails wanted to know more about the elders, but Sally shook her head.  
  
"They don't matter much. It's better that we figure out this riddle, then the sooner we can defeat the sorceress."  
  
"Hmm, and I thought magic wasn't prevalent in this world," Nicko mumbled.  
  
"Well, it is. Here's the riddle again: 'amidst the dew, with roaring before them, Brothers stand upon circles, one each. Then, the way shall be revealed, with the colours of light above them.'"  
  
Silence. A few of them scratched their heads.  
  
"Hmm, dew, well, that means it's in a body of water?" Tails suggested.  
  
"Yeah, maybe," Jonathan thought. His eyes suddenly widened.  
  
"Wait, water, roaring, isn't that a waterfall?"  
  
"Good!" Sally praised, and keyed it into Nicole, "Now, brothers standing on circles?"  
  
Further silence.  
  
"We know it must be two brothers standing on something, I mean, they can't walk on water, can they?" Rotor said.  
  
"They may be standing upon tree roots, or some stones. Hey, that's it! They would be standing on stones shaped like circles!" Mina squealed excitedly. Sonic gave her a thump on the back.  
  
"I guess living in the city made you smarter, huh?" he remarked. She pouted at him. Sally was saying "Good, good!" as she entered more information into Nicole, "Well, we're doing alright so far: two brothers, each standing on top of a circular stone, with a waterfall in front of them. Very strange, to be sure," she noted.  
  
"Colours of light above them," Tails wondered, "What shows all the colours of light?"  
  
"A rainbow," Lazer stated, "It's obvious. A waterfall tends to have a permanent rainbow at its base, where the water vapor is thickest, so sunlight is broken into the spectrum."  
  
"Whoa, dude, you studied physics!" Sonic exclaimed. Lazer reminded Sonic that he did have a high school education, and Sonic replied that he also had one.  
  
"Not as advanced as mine, though," Lazer smiled.  
  
"So you're insulting my teachers now?" Sonic challenged, and stood up. Mina reached over and yanked the latter hedgehog down, and he fell onto his rump.  
  
"Cool off, both of you!" Mina warned. Lazer laughed softly and snapped his fingers, causing a small flash of red light. Sonic snorted and looked away, automatically pushing back his hair.  
  
"This is excellent! We solved the riddle in less than ten minutes!" Sally laughed.  
  
"May I point out that we still need to find this place?" Tails interrupted.  
  
"Okay, we need to find a waterfall, that has a rainbow above two circular stones. Sounds hard, but we'll manage. Mina and Sonic can scour the forest within a day or so."  
  
"I'm up to it!" Mina announced, and leaped to her feet. Sonic also stood.  
  
"Remember, we have to do this quickly!"  
  
"Speed is my middle name," the blue wonder said.  
  
"No, your middle name is."  
  
"Shut up, Sally, please!" Sonic growled through clenched teeth. Mina and Sally giggled.  
  
"Right. Divide and seek out! Move it, people."  
  
"That may not be necessary," Lazer said as an afterthought.  
  
"Well? What's your problem now?" Sonic said angrily. Red and blue did not mix at this time.  
  
"I already know where this waterfall is. I go there to meditate almost daily."  
  
Words of disbelief came from all who heard the amazing fact.  
  
"What kind of insane coincidence is that? The chances of choosing that waterfall out of the many hundreds that are in the Great Forest are next to nothing!"  
  
"Well, we live in a very strange world, Tails. I'm one of the stranger people around here, so you can say that chance and possibility won't apply. Maybe it's more than coincidence, probably divine intervention," Lazer speculated. Heads nodded. Sally switched off Nicole and spoke.  
  
"Okay, now we need to gather all the brothers around here. How many do you think qualify, Sonic?"  
  
"Hmm, our population is around one thousand or more, and we also have some people from the city who were injured and had to stay. Maybe one or two hundred guys, I dunno."  
  
"Right then! Lazer, come with us to Knothole. We'll gather all the brothers in the village square and you can lead them to the waterfall."  
  
"It's going to be a long hike. Make sure that whoever's coming can actually walk."  
  
Several minutes later, the group had left the shore of the Lake, and all became quiet once more.  
  
  
  
"Sonic and Sally will keep you in one group while you follow me," Lazer announced to the large crowd. There were a few less than two hundred brothers, making a few less than one hundred possible pairs, and all appeared fit for traveling. Jonathan was there with his younger brother, Stephen. Nicko was there with about three of his brothers (gerbils, remember?) The male crowd had been told that there was a magical waterfall somewhere in the forest that, when two brothers stood before it, would give them godlike abilities. Naturally, they were interested. Several of them had arms in slings and bandages about the upper body, but it was no threat to walking.  
  
"Okay, red!" several of them chorused.  
  
"Yeah, red, we'll follow you," Sonic said, smiling innocently of the crime. Lazer thought about how foolish some children were, and then waved an arm to start them off.  
  
There was no trail, as Lazer had usually flown to the waterfall. Tails, Rotor and Mina also came, since they all wanted to witness some display of ancient magic. If there was going to be cataclysmic power bestowed upon two brothers, they really wanted to see the special effects.  
  
Several minutes past an hour of tramping through the forest brought them to the waterfall. Sonic instantly noticed something wrong.  
  
"What the. there's no rainbow!"  
  
"The hell are you talking about?" one of the many brothers asked. Sally and the other familiars pushed to the front and looked with dismay.  
  
"There is no rainbow. There's no sunlight! Lazer, what the hell?" Sally cried, and threw up her arms in frustration. Sonic noted with amusement that she was using low-key swearing.  
  
Trees, branches, leaves and vines almost totally obscured sunlight, save a few straggling sunbeams. Lazer regarded the problem with bent brow for a few moments and hit upon an obvious solution.  
  
"Sonic, cut a hole for us."  
  
"Excuse me?" the latter asked, and trotted forward, eyeing Lazer with raised eyebrow.  
  
"Do I have to make a hologram? Spin or whatever so that you can shred the vegetation above the waterfall."  
  
"Seems easy enough. Stand back, everyone."  
  
They did. Sonic placed two fingers on the side of his head, was silent for a moment, crouched, and spun into a ball. Soggy leaves flopped into the air and upon some of the watchers' faces. He spun on spot like a weed killer in overdrive and then took off. He bounced off a tree and then above the waterfall. The canopy stood no chance against his slashing quills. At that velocity, they could have easily sliced through metal. Wood and plant matter were worthless to the speed Sonic possessed. He flashed across the trees, bouncing between them in a blue streak of lightning, while the eyes of the onlookers tried to keep up with his fleet form. Half a minute later he slowed down and landed.  
  
"That didn't do anything. The sunlight still can't get through," Sally said, frowning. The canopy of leaves held, mocking Sonic's efforts.  
  
Sonic strolled over to the waterfall, picked up a stone and flung it upward. It swished through the leaves, and the forest roof overhead trembled and disintegrated into confetti of green. Shredded leaves fell about them like snow, and when the green shower had settled upon the ground, people and waters, the sun showed in its splendour, the golden circle that revealed the sparkling waters of the river and the foam of the waterfall. A rainbow instantly sprang into existence, a dazzling band of colour that, with its joyful burst of grandeur, appeared glad to live again. The stone fell downward and Sonic caught it. He looked over his shoulder at Sally and the crowd, who were shaking their heads with wonder, and gave them one of those smiles. A smile that said, 'How could you possibly doubt my skill?'  
  
"Good work Sonic. At least you didn't clog the river."  
  
Sonic's euphoria at showing off to his girl immediately smothered upon hearing that indifferent tone from Lazer. If Sally and Tails had not been standing there, he would have thrown the stone at him. He settled for skipping it across the water.  
  
"Nice. Okay, everyone get their brother and stand in line. No shoving! We don't want anyone to drown," Sally called out to the group, and waved her arms toward the two circular stones. Mina was walking toward Lazer when she heard him grumbling bitterly.  
  
"Damn. After this, they'll show all their friends and family that this was the place where 'bro and I' got powered up so we could smash Robotnik into oblivion!"  
  
She tapped him on the arm.  
  
"Are you jealous?"  
  
"No, damn it! After they bring their family and friends, there will be people coming here every day to take pictures, have picnics or go for a swim! It'll be a tourist trap, so that means I'll have to find another meditation spot."  
  
Mina was still curious.  
  
"Meditation. You meditate? That doesn't sound right."  
  
"Of course it doesn't! Nothing makes sense in this blasted world anymore."  
  
Lazer strode away from her to talk to Sonic.  
  
"Sonic, Mina and I are going to look for my sword."  
  
"You won't be doing anything else with her?" he asked foolishly. Lazer glared at him for one full second.  
  
"Foolish child."  
  
Mina also came up to Sonic, eyes glittering angrily.  
  
"I heard that you pervert! I already have a boyfriend, you know!"  
  
"A boyfriend? Gee, Mina, I didn't think you could catch one."  
  
They walked away without so much as another glance. Lazer invited Mina to come with him and they moved away from the riverside rapidly. Sonic was pacing about, peeved.  
  
"You, stupid, I'll fix you," he was grumbling.  
  
"What's wrong with muh shuga-hog?" Sally said, Bunnie-like, and threw her arms over his body from behind. She had arched her back to avoid his quills.  
  
"Lazer really knows how to make a guy angry, and I just found out Mina has a boyfriend," Sonic sighed. Sally nuzzled her face next to his.  
  
"Forget about them. Let's go somewhere else, I'm sure Tails and Rotor can handle those guys.  
  
So they walked off together, hands held. The third set of brothers ascended the rock, and nothing happened. They shrugged together, their hopes of fantastic glory reduced to zilch. The next set of brothers prepared for a possible dose of omnipotence. Tails then realized some people were missing.  
  
"Where did Sally, Sonic, Mina and Lazer go off to?"  
  
"Maybe for some quiet time, huh," Rotor said enviously.  
  
The hours passed, and the four absentees returned. Only six pairs remained to try their luck. The other failures were sprawling or standing on the opposite bank, talking amongst themselves about 'guy things'.  
  
"Sonic, wipe that grin off your face before someone notices," Sally whispered urgently. Sonic refused to comply and went over to Lazer.  
  
"You guys had as much fun as we did?" he asked, stupidly. Lazer was tempted to insult Sonic's manhood, but since ladies were present, refrained.  
  
"We found my sword."  
  
"Sort of," Mina interjected. She presented the broken halves of the samurai sword. Its metal was twisted at the ends where the metal had broken. It was black with scorch marks and its blade was notched.  
  
"Da-aamn," Sonic said slowly, drawing out the expletive, "That used to be a pretty cool sword."  
  
"Yes. It's the only gift my sensei ever gave to me. I will need to find someone who can repair it." His tone was masking sorrow and loss.  
  
"Ricardo," Sonic naturally suggested. "He does swords and everything else with metal. I'll make sure that he gives it his every care."  
  
"For once, Sonic, you aren't being immature. Thank you."  
  
Lazer took the broken halves from Mina, and went to observe the brothers. Sonic cleared his throat.  
  
"See, I can make people respect me when I want."  
  
"I hope you grow up someday," and with that Mina brushed past him. Sally approached.  
  
"You'd better not tell anyone."  
  
"What? That you and I."  
  
She clapped a paw over his mouth.  
  
"Isn't there anyone else?" they heard Tails saying. The last two brothers swore openly about having wasted their afternoon, and jumped off the rock, splashing into the water and sloshing over the other side with rage. The rest of the group also complained.  
  
"Party's over," Sonic observed. He walked forward and held up his arms to talk.  
  
"Okay, everyone, show's over. We're going back home."  
  
He turned his back to the angry crowd and noticed a look of fear on Sally's face.  
  
"Sal, what's wrong?"  
  
"No one at all? Out of the hundred or so that must of tried?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
"We've got to bring in others from the city! If this is the waterfall, then there must be someone who can make its magic work!"  
  
She was panicking. Sonic touched her arm.  
  
"Sal, we did what we could. It won't make sense to waste our time on every brother in the city!"  
  
"But there must be SOMEONE!" she cried frantically. Several heads turned. Sonic understood what she was going through. Facing your own death (and thousands of others) was not a pleasant prospect. He tried reassurance in his low, understanding voice.  
  
"I'm sorry, too. Don't worry; Lazer still has his plan. I'll get fifty rings, and then it'll all be over tomorrow."  
  
"Just two days left when tomorrow comes," she groaned, and looked to the trees above, as if some type of help would suddenly spring forth. Sonic placed an arm around her shoulder, as scared as she was, and walked with her back to the village. Breaking the news to the King would be difficult. 


	11. The Brothers

Chapter 11: The Brothers  
  
Robotnik had converted a storage room within his Tower to a well- outfitted dining area. There was no chandelier, but the lighting was a clever arrangement of crystals and mirrors that broke the light into hundreds of white rays that spread across the room, giving the illusion that it originated from a single source. The metal floor had a rubber carpet lined with synthetic fibers, giving it a fuzzy appearance and feel like real carpets. The walls had authentic, creamy brown wallpaper, instead of the stiff blue-gray surface that prevailed throughout the other rooms. A Swatbot had been transformed into a humanoid heating unit, and it now stood rigidly against one of the walls. There was a large table, made of fake wood, with a red tablecloth. The chairs were covered with a comfortable layer of padding, not unlike an average office chair. A bar had been constructed, taking up a quarter of the room. It contained the foodstuffs and beverages necessary for such a unique dining place. The L-shaped remainder of the room was well lit, and most importantly, warm. A hidden stereo player added classical violin music to the atmosphere. Robotnik and his guest were seated on opposite ends of the table, and were enjoying the pleasant music while dining. She was wearing a light blue blouse, and long pants of the same colour. Her black cape was draped on the chair adjacent to her. Robotnik wore a very, very large green suit (you can guess its size). A handkerchief hung from one of the chest pockets.  
  
"For a social recluse, you have done a fine job with this room," she commented, and lifted the fork to her mouth.  
  
"Yes," he agreed, and forced some mutton down, "I had several robots construct the bar, but I chose the decorations," he speared some carrots with his fork and chewed them. "I normally shun colour in my tower, but since you have ensured my complete victory, I made an exception."  
  
Hannah's green diamond eyes flicked over the room.  
  
"I noticed. Anyway," she said in a manner of changing the topic, "What do you plan to do after the Freedom Fighters die?"  
  
"Subjugation of the Mobian populous," he replied without hesitation, and eyed her, "What do you plan, my dear?"  
  
"Do not call me your 'dear'," she reminded him, "And I don't care if it's common courtesy or not. My plans are, well, nonexistent right now. I may return to my island and overthrow the Elders. Either that, or I can assist you in your so-called 'subjugation'. The Emerald can be used for mind-control. I can make anyone, even large groups of people, obey you or me with a single incantation."  
  
They ate away their lunch for several moments.  
  
"A strange plan, but it can be successful. You can have your portion of the population beneath your paw while I rule mine with an iron fist."  
  
"That can work out well. We may have territorial problems, though."  
  
"Nonsense!" he said, dismissing the notion with a wave of his artificial hand, "I will give you a country all to yourself, like the Floating Island for one. But first, I'd have to remove the Master Emerald and tap its power."  
  
"Oh yes, that Emerald of Emeralds. I could put it to better use."  
  
"How unfortunate, we are already having our first dispute!"  
  
Her feline senses were alert to the tone of his voice. He had some ulterior motive behind his cordial words. Maybe she would have to destroy him along with the Freedom Fighters that he hated. Better yet, she could warp his mind and make him her servant. She would starve him until he lost that excess one or two hundred pounds of fat, and could run errands for her.  
  
"I am sure that we can reach an agreement in the future."  
  
"Wait, before we speak further, a toast, to our shared triumph within three days."  
  
They raised their glasses and drained them. Robotnik called for the android behind the counter to refill their glasses. He had already arranged for this pussycat's untimely death. Her presence made him uneasy, not just because she was a formidable sorceress, but because she was an animal, an anthropomorphic cat, if you like: a creature that was beneath him. She would not have an opportunity to usurp his place as Emperor of Mobius.  
  
While Hannah chomped on some red meat, she thought of Lazer. He was the one who had lost to her, the red hedgehog with a V-shaped patch of fur on his forehead. He was less of a mystery to her, but everything about him was withdrawn and dangerous. He would be very hard to break, for her 'mind trip' had been convincing of his mental fortitude. When he was finally under her control, be it one week or years from then, she would be in charge of his measureless powers, and his body as well.  
  
"Especially his body," she thought distractedly. How long had it been, two months since she was with a man? The males of that Freedom Fighter city had offered little. In their eyes, she was a toy, a plaything that was discarded after a single use. I am far more than a plaything, she thought. I am the one who will cause their death.  
  
Robotnik noticed her less than enthusiastic approach to the meal.  
  
"Is something the matter?"  
  
She quickly surfaced from her thoughts.  
  
"No. I'm still feeling tired."  
  
"After nine hours of sleep? No matter. You will sleep well, I can assure you. It is a small favour for your wonderful service."  
  
They went on chatting like that for a small while afterward, and then the android cleared the dishes. She went to rest, and to dream, while he merely went to dream.  
  
  
  
"Tails, m'boy, what do we do now except wait?"  
  
Two and a half days were left. Sally and Tails were sitting on a bench along one of Knothole's streets. Sally was resting before she decided to tell her royal Dad the bad news. Sonic was tapping his foot and glancing around him.  
  
"Aunt Sally," Tails began. After four years, he still called her that, "Why is it so important that we defeat the sorceress quickly?"  
  
Sally's heart nearly broke as she looked into his innocent eyes. It was all for the best that he (along with everyone else) didn't know.  
  
"Sorry, Tails. It's just that she won so easily, that I want her out of the picture so we can get to him."  
  
"Oh, Okay," he said, blissfully unaware that the dead would soon have company. "Tails, you stay here. I'm gonna help Lazer get those rings. It'll be over soon, don't worry."  
  
"Bye, Sonic."  
  
Tails was sure that Sonic would not let anything bad happen. Little did he know that it would take more than the speed of Sonic, even more than the Chaos Emeralds, to prevent another incident like Xadra's.  
  
  
  
Sonic ran at almost maximum speed through the forest. One might wonder how he could dodge trees, roots and rocks at that velocity, exceeding the top speed of a commercial electric train. Living in a forest (and invading a heavily guarded citadel now and then) had developed his reflexes a quantum leap farther than the most skilled cheetah. You could say that he was forced to have lightning fast reflexes. Yes, he could run between raindrops, if he wanted to.  
  
"La-zer!" he called out as the waterfall appeared behind some trees. He dug his heels into the damp ground, and mud splattered.  
  
Lazer had his shoes off and was dangling his feet into the cold stream. The single beam of sunlight and the rainbow made a beautiful bit of scenery. He heard Sonic call him and turned his head. The blue hedgehog was spattered with wet dirt. Served him right for stopping so close to a waterfall.  
  
"Eech, mud!"  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Hey. Mind if I wash?"  
  
"It's not my waterfall, but be my guest."  
  
Sonic spun into a ball and jumped into the river. A great spray of water leaped into the air as the high RPM hedgehog spun himself clean. He then bumped out of the water and landed on the rock. The vapor began to settle.  
  
"Fast shower. Sorry if I sprayed you."  
  
Lazer was bone dry, except for his feet.  
  
"I thought I soaked you."  
  
"Not this hedgehog. Sit down, please."  
  
Sonic mimicked Lazer, removing his shoes and placing his feet in the water.  
  
"So."  
  
"So. We need to get fifty rings so you can show off and save the day."  
  
"Yes. Although no amount of showing off can repay the vow I will break."  
  
Sonic was not sure why he said what he was about to say.  
  
"Lazer. you're not a bad guy."  
  
"It took you four and a half years to figure that out?"  
  
"Nah, it's just that you breaking your promise for the Freedom Fighters. You don't owe us anything, and you want to help us all the same."  
  
Lazer's expression gave the appearance of softening.  
  
"I owe the Freedom Fighters much."  
  
"Really? Continue," Sonic prompted.  
  
"After everyone died, I went numb to almost every emotion except anger. All I could think of was the unbelievable pleasure I would gain from killing Robotnik. I hid from everyone, since I couldn't stand to see a happy face or even a smile. Well, after observing the people in Knothole for a while, I saw that it didn't matter how bad the situation could be, but people could still find joy. I suppose that I re-learned happiness."  
  
A smile touched Sonic's face.  
  
"Without happiness, life wouldn't exist on Mobius. I'm glad that we could make you happy again, Laze."  
  
"I didn't say that you made me happy again," he replied. Then the features of hardened steel returned to his face, "And never, ever, call me 'Laze'."  
  
Taken aback at the tone of voice, the other hedgehog held up his hand for a truce.  
  
"Sorry dude. Uh, let's get the rings."  
  
"Right."  
  
They proceeded to slip on their footwear.  
  
"Marble Gardens is the best place I can think of that's not too far away."  
  
"Where is that place?"  
  
"Not very far from Hydrocity. I think you've been to Hydrocity?"  
  
"For hours. That place is excellent for meditation."  
  
Sonic stood and shook his head.  
  
"Geez, when I look at a large body of water, I usually think about swimming."  
  
"Hmm. Well, 'Marble Gardens' is going to see a lot more of me, if it's quiet enough."  
  
"I bet. Come one, let's go."  
  
Lazer got to his feet. They were both standing on circular rocks, before a roaring waterfall, with a rainbow above them. The afternoon then took a more interesting turn.  
  
"Uh, Lazer? Are you making this happen?"  
  
"Making what happen?"  
  
"That," Sonic said, eyes wide, as he pointed toward the water circling the rocks. It had become black, black as midnight with no moon. The blackness was radiating outward from the two rocks, and as they stared fascinated (and perhaps with apprehension), they noticed some dots of light that appeared within the consuming dark.  
  
"Little white lights?"  
  
"Hey, those look familiar. I've looked up more than once at a night sky. Lazer, that's outer space!"  
  
"What, in the middle of a river? Excuse me if I don't believe."  
  
His last word was cut off as the rocks, along with Sonic and himself, fell into the pool of night. They simply fell downward into nothing, and if you were watching, you would have noticed the black hole slowly fade into the sunlit waters of the stream, minus the rocks, with a bright rainbow above.  
  
  
  
"This. is too weird for words," Sonic said in an awed voice.  
  
"Ditto."  
  
They were standing upon the rocks. They were definitely not by the waterfall any longer. The infinite void of deep space was all about them. They could discern no constellations or known star clusters, but a never- ending blackness speckled with unfamiliar stars.  
  
"Lazer, please tell me that your Emeralds are doing this."  
  
"I can assure you, Sonic, if I could do this, you would have been the test victim."  
  
"Such strange children. Are they really deserving of your gifts?"  
  
"Almighty, we are convinced of their potential."  
  
"So be it."  
  
"Um, who said that?" Sonic asked nervously. Lazer did not tell Sonic, but he sensed a trace of laughter coming from the void around them.  
  
"Hello? Will whoever was having that conversation kindly tell us what's going on?" he called out again. He ventured to step off the rock, and thought better of it.  
  
"Sonic!"  
  
"Lazer!"  
  
The two voices were almost identical, but there was no third voice.  
  
"Hello?" Sonic said yet again. He reached out into the darkness and grasped nothing.  
  
"Sonic. Lazer. Out of the many brothers that ascended the Twin Circles, you are the brothers who found our favour."  
  
"Hold on one second, 'brothers'? We are not related in any which way," Sonic pointed out. This time, both hedgehogs heard laughter from the two voices. It was rather bewildering to be laughed at by invisible beings.  
  
"We are fully aware. We know your minds and we know your lives. We are the Brothers that the Ancient Walkers chose millenniums past."  
  
"What do you want from us?" Lazer boldly questioned. He had conversed with the Ancient Walkers before, and did not think that these Two had any more authority than They.  
  
"Sonic, Lazer. We would have chosen a pair of brothers that stood upon the Circles some hours ago in your time, but they all lacked the qualities that we found within you."  
  
"Oh, so it's because of my irresistible charm and his great ability for sarcasm that we were chosen?" Sonic asked, foolishly yet again.  
  
"Sonic, do not make jokes around powers beyond your comprehension," Lazer advised, annoyed.  
  
"Neither of those qualities, Sonic. We chose you because we have faith in your potential. After Hannah Nyress causes the Black Emerald to shatter, and the Creature escapes, Mobius will be plunged into despair for a length of time even we cannot foresee. We chose the two of you because we discovered within you virtues similar to ours."  
  
The other voice spoke:  
  
"Sonic, you have great courage and an unbreakable spirit. You have loyalty from all your friends and in return you are loyal to them. You will not fall in the face of defeat."  
  
The next Brother spoke.  
  
"Lazer. You have witnessed more death and destruction than even We, the Brothers. Your resolve will not be led astray, and your mind is a fortress against the powers of Darkness. You will not allow your allies to fall unaided."  
  
The two hedgehogs stood in silent denial at the words. They were thinking, "They're wrong, I'm not that great a person."  
  
"Do not be fearful of undertaking such a responsibility," one of the Brothers said, knowing what they had thought, "Never allow yourselves to become despondent, and Sonic, Lazer, never let your Brother fall."  
  
"We now wish you luck, and pray that the Ancient Walkers will help you in the upcoming struggle. Go now, with our title, The Brothers of the Rainbow!"  
  
That was the last they heard from The Brothers. The starry space folded around them, and they saw no more.  
  
At the waterfall, two figures materialized, standing upon the Twin Circles. They were Sonic and Lazer, but they were changed. On each of their quills, foreheads, chests, arms and legs were luminescent bands of rainbows. The multicoloured imprints of rainbows gave off each light of the spectrum. While their bodies fully returned to the normal universe, they noticed the bright colours emanating from the marks upon their respective skins. They stared at themselves and at each other.  
  
"Um."  
  
"Um."  
  
If their thoughts could have been manifested, a series of "."s would have appeared over their heads.  
  
" 'Brothers of the Rainbow'. That sounds happy and. gay," remarked Sonic.  
  
"Ah well. Now that we've been given super powers, we might as well earn our stripes."  
  
"I still think it sounds gay."  
  
"Stop talking about how gay it is. Wait till we find out what we can do."  
  
Sonic then began to float above the rock.  
  
"Well, there's a start," he smirked.  
  
  
  
Sally walked back to Knothole with shoulders slumped, eyes half closed and barely managing to put one foot before the other. She was weary, wearier than she had felt in many days. Her father, the King, had been greatly troubled by the report, but was in favour of Sonic's opinion that bringing all the brothers from the city would be both dangerous and wasteful of time. Tails met her on the street leading away from the castle.  
  
"Sally, you look really tired."  
  
"I am. Oh boy, am I tired. I want to sleep."  
  
Well, why don't you? You were up all last night reading books, and walked for over an hour without stopping through the forest. You should take a nap. Did you eat lunch?"  
  
"Lunch? No," she replied, and felt her stomach, which rumbled, empty.  
  
"I don't think I ate breakfast, either," she said. Tails looked at her surprised, as she suddenly tottered forward and fell. He caught her, and with some trouble carried her over to a nearby bench. She was fast asleep, so he spread her over the wooden seat. He sighed and sat next to her, looking at her face.  
  
"Sleep well, Aunty," he whispered, and brushed her hair.  
  
"Hey, Tails, wa'sup?" called out a voice from above. Reason told him that it was Lazer, floating some way above him, but that voice was unmistakable.  
  
"Sonic?" he asked, and looked upward. His heart nearly froze.  
  
"OhmiGODDESS!" he shouted, and leaped from the bench, completely forgetting about Sally.  
  
"Don't swear, Tails!" Sonic teased. Tails rubbed his eyes. Yes, it was he. Sonic was hovering fifteen feet off the ground, with spectrum lights shining from his body. Lazer was hovering beside Sonic, also with many colours glowing about him.  
  
"How. how in the heck? Sonic! Lazer!" Tails shouted again, his mouth hanging open. Was this some prank that he and Lazer had pulled off?  
  
"Hey, Tails. Lazer and me got some awesome powers from the waterfall. We're now the Brothers of the Rainbow!"  
  
Tails sputtered some incoherent exclamations. Several people had looked out of their huts and were also raising a hue and cry.  
  
"What in the name of Destiny? Is that you, Sonic?"  
  
"Ahhhh! Aliens!"  
  
"Good Goddess! What are those shining floating thingies?"  
  
Many people were gathering in the streets.  
  
"Wat da HELL?" shouted someone. Sonic and Lazer waved.  
  
"It's okay, we're just trying our new powers."  
  
"Yeah! You know that waterfall we talked about, that would give amazing powers to a pair of brothers? Well, I guess we were chosen!"  
  
"But you're not brothers!" Tails protested. The "Brothers" began a long explanation. About ten minutes later, practically everyone from Knothole had assembled beneath the floating 'Brothers'.  
  
Sally woke up.  
  
"Wuh. what's going on?"  
  
She slid off the bench and looked at the huge crowd in bewilderment.  
  
"Sal! I didn't notice you sleeping there!"  
  
"Sonic?" she asked uncertainly. Two airborne figures with glowing rainbow marks upon their body were above the crowd. One of them descended into its midst. The large crowd allowed her to pass, for she was their princess. She said his name again, and with curious eyes examined his body. She also looked at Lazer. She demanded an explanation, and received one. The crowd formed a circle around them as they talked.  
  
"Sonic! You. you and Lazer were chosen?"  
  
"Yep. We're the new Brothers of the Rainbow, chosen by the original Brothers to save Mobius."  
  
"So, the others weren't chosen because they didn't meet the grade?"  
  
"I suppose!" Sonic laughed. A few voices from the crowd complained (the voices of several, valid brothers), but Sonic waved them off.  
  
"Cool it guys! It's okay! Be glad that you won't have to fight against that sorceress!"  
  
They were satisfied with that. At least they had not been selected for a battle that might kill them!  
  
"Sonic. About Marble Gardens. We should go there to test our powers. Is it large enough?" said Lazer.  
  
"If it's large? If it took me more than one minute to cross it, then it has to be large enough!"  
  
He turned to Sally.  
  
"Sal, we're going to that zone for awhile. We've gotta find out what we can do!"  
  
"Good luck Sonic. I feel so relieved now! You'll both stop her, right?"  
  
He kissed her on the cheek.  
  
"Did I ever disappoint you?"  
  
"Actually."  
  
"Never mind that!" he said. He waved to the crowd, and then took off with Lazer.  
  
After the clouds had obscured Knothole and the Great Forest, the two Brothers of the Rainbow flew across the sky. Sonic was doing loop-de-loops among the clouds, while Lazer looked back at the rainbow streaks that they made.  
  
"That was cool. Everyone was totally freaked by us!" Sonic said grinning, and zigzagged through a cloudbank.  
  
"I wonder if that's a good thing," Lazer implied.  
  
"Eh, stop being a stick in the mud. I've never flown before, and man, it rocks to no end!" he cried, and rocketed to the sun, leaving a blaze of colour in his wake. Lazer shook his head. Sonic was still immature, although he could fly quite well. But, he had to admit; flying among the clouds was highly enjoyable, even after twelve years of experience. The red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet hedgehogs soared through the sky, making rainbows among the clouds on their way to Marble Gardens.  
  
  
  
Hannah Nyress was asleep in her bed. Her 'house' was in another section of Robotropolis. It had been an aircraft hangar once, but was now a well heated and tastefully decorated living quarters. Being about thirty square meters in area, the room had ample space for her belongings and an expanse of floor set aside for her sorcery training. She had had the large, gray carpet made for her by one of Robotnik's factories. Robots had also manufactured the lamps and lighting fixtures. Landscapes and abstract art hung at tactical positions on the walls, but these she had purchased from the Freedom Fighter city.  
  
The money she used to buy clothing and material possessions (she had at least three cupboards and dressers each) had been cleverly obtained. Being a city of robots, tons of waste metal was available. When she had found the need for money, she suggested to Robotnik that the excess materials be sold. He had grudgingly consented to give her one third of the total waste metal. Hannah then contacted a construction firm and struck a deal. As the slag heaps grew larger, she sold a third of them. Her income was enough for her to live quite comfortably in the dark city, under Robotnik's watchful eyes.  
  
Hannah lay in peaceful slumber, under a heavy duvet coverlet. She had no need for clothing while under the warm blanket, being a furry cat in the already warm room. Her dreams I will not describe (I will leave her personal fantasies alone). During one of her dreams, she was interrupted by a darkness that invaded her fantasy and caused her to awaken.  
  
"Aww, damn it, that was so good," she growled frustrated. She yawned and stretched, cat style. She stood up on her bed and sensed the black emanations originating from the Dark Jewel.  
  
"What's wrong now, my precious emerald?"  
  
She lightly pounced onto the soft gray carpet and walked to the Black Emerald, which was set upon a pedestal of ornately carved ash wood. She ran her paws over its surface, and saw what it needed to show her.  
  
"They. they have returned?" she gasped, greatly astonished. The emerald showed her two rainbows racing across the sky, but they were not the true Brothers.  
  
"Ahh. Sonic and. Lazer!" she crooned, "The Brothers who are not the Brothers have returned to haunt you again," she said to the emerald, which trembled beneath her touch. She patted its reflective surface and pondered the change of events.  
  
"So-ooo, Those two have found favour with the Brothers, have they?"  
  
She walked over to her bed and sat upon its surface, hugging the duvet to her exposed body.  
  
"I wonder if there's a spell which they cannot break," she said aloud.  
  
"There is."  
  
She turned quickly toward the Emerald. It had never spoken to her before.  
  
"You? You spoke?"  
  
"Faithful sorceress, Hannah Nyress, I know how to stop them. You have to sacrifice your body to my power, so that the Brothers will not be allowed to destroy me once again!"  
  
Its words held a strong persuasive tone. She bowed her head for one moment, and asked it a question.  
  
"Is there no other method?"  
  
The Emerald was impatient:  
  
"Kitten, you do not know the true extent of their capabilities! Draw near and I shall show you."  
  
She willingly complied, and flung away the coverlet. The emerald was thousands of years older than she, and must have tremendous knowledge. With her paws on its smooth facets, she was once more barraged by mental images from the past.  
  
"I had a brutal struggle with those accursed Brothers."  
  
She saw in her mind's eye a gigantic black shape, dreadful and mighty, faced with two points of light. She saw this enormous thing laugh at the two tiny flames before it, until those seemingly insignificant dots attacked it with radiant beams of rainbows. Unbelievably, she saw the creature twist with pain. The battle went on thus for many hours.  
  
"Is. that creature you?" she asked mentally, during the fierce skirmish.  
  
"Yes. It was the body I possessed ages ago before I was ensnared by the Ancient Walkers!"  
  
She saw the dark behemoth falling, with unspeakable arms and legs flailing as it fell to the Mobian earth. The small dots of light grew larger, and the rainbow beams were combined, forming an even larger blast that penetrated the dark form's body and caused it to shriek horribly. Then, she saw a new light. A green circle appeared beside the two rainbow lights. Three masked creatures, holding staffs, created a black emerald. Within moments, the creature's body disintegrated and its black spirit flew into the emerald, imprisoned. Hannah felt the helpless rage, and the infinite hatred toward the Ancient Walkers and the two Brothers.  
  
Exhausted by the terrible history, Hannah physically fell away from the emerald, onto the welcome softness of the carpet. She lay there for a while, her head pounding.  
  
"You now understand that I am a great force of evil, beyond the comprehension of any mortal. Alone, I cannot defeat the Brothers, even if my magic can extend from this black emerald prison. If I inhabit your body, it will be able to use a fraction of my true power. This power may be enough, for it is a terrible magic. Will you obey me, Hannah Nyress?"  
  
"Yes." she whispered, "I cannot allow one so great to be imprisoned for all eternity!"  
  
The feline sorceress watched in a trance, as a dark aura rose from the emerald, descending upon her.  
  
Before the world fell away, she wondered why the voice had laughed ever so softly. 


	12. Training

Chapter 12- Training  
  
The Marble Gardens Zone was very green, Lazer noticed. It consisted wholly of large stone buildings and green, grassy hills that extended almost to the horizon. Sonic had already dived toward the tallest hill, so Lazer followed. He alighted upon its peak, the lustrous colours about him, and surveyed the landscape. The sun was a few hours away from setting, and was partially hidden by rain clouds. The shadows of stones grew longer by the minute.  
  
"Nice place you got here," Lazer commented.  
  
"My place? This place doesn't belong to anyone, but I don't see anyone hanging around, so we can try out our abilities."  
  
"Okay. Me first."  
  
Lazer pointed his fist toward a rock lying thirty feet downhill. Instead of firing the normal red energy beam, a rainbow shot out of his arm, destroying the rock and an impressive chunk of the hill. The shattered rocks and fragmented soil tumbled away.  
  
"Whoa. I didn't even put effort into that shot!" Lazer exclaimed. Sonic thought for a moment and also pointed his fist downhill, at another rock nearby the blasted earth. He also unleashed an energy beam, but it did less damage.  
  
"Hmm, so we can both fire these rainbow beams."  
  
"Hey, I thought of something. Let's fly away from the hill before we try it," said Lazer. Seconds later they were poised two hundred feet away from the peak, treading the cold air.  
  
"So, what did you have in mind?"  
  
"Let shoot our beams at the same time, except shoot them so that they hit each other before they strike the hill."  
  
"Heh, sounds good to me!"  
  
They each pointed both arms, this time at an angle toward the hill. On the count of three, they both unleashed blistering rainbow blasts that hit each other some hundred feet from the hill.  
  
"Holy."  
  
"Goddess!"  
  
Their beams had formed a searing blaze of swirling colours upon contact, combined into a whirling energy ball that released and targeted the hill. The explosion was apocalyptic! Tons of rocks and earth disintegrated as they were thrown upward by a pure white flare of massive power. The sound roared in their ears, and like leaves, they were tossed away through the currents of air. When they had recovered, almost one mile above the ground, they gaped in disbelief at the magnitude of devastation.  
  
"Oh. my. Goddess," Sonic whispered, overawed by what he and Lazer had done.  
  
"This is unthinkable! Why were we given such power?"  
  
They could not remove their gaze from the ground. The tallest hill of the Marble Gardens was no more. A crater had been left nearly five thousand feet in diameter, and a quarter as deep. Dirt and rocks had been scattered in every direction for several kilometers. As they looked at the surrounding area, they saw that nearby hills were partially missing, or were blasted into heaps.  
  
"Sonic? Let's never do that again, until we really have to."  
  
"You mean until we face her again?"  
  
"No. Not even then. We can't snuff out life so easily, or so violently. There must be another way to stop her and Robotnik without killing them."  
  
Sonic sighed. Lazer was right; Robotnik and the sorceress must be brought to justice, not reduced to ashes.  
  
"Alright. Let's move away from here before someone notices us. The gardens are big, thank Goddess."  
  
Some time later they found an isolated spot, far away from the destruction they had caused. It was a wide grassy arena, closed off by high rock walls and a cliff. Many large rocks were also scattered here, like the rest of the gardens.  
  
"Here will do. Let's not blow it up this time," suggested Sonic.  
  
"Agreed."  
  
Sonic ran and used uneven rocky surfaces to run straight up the cliff. He left a bright rainbow trail, marking his path.  
  
"Why did your body leave that behind?" Lazer wondered. He walked into the trail's beginning, and touched the light. With a large tug on his hand, he was drawn through the trail, like iron filings to a magnet, and ended up beside Sonic. He stared.  
  
"A homing device?"  
  
"Apparently. I think that I moved as fast as you did."  
  
"Hey, why don't you try?"  
  
"Me? Okay."  
  
Lazer flew off the cliff in a straight line and landed on a stone tower. As he landed, something crashed into him from behind. He was thrown off the top, and managed to regain his wits quickly enough to fly. He saw Sonic falling toward him, crying out. Lazer called out angrily.  
  
"Hey! You weren't supposed to follow me immediately!"  
  
He grabbed Sonic's arm as the hedgehog nearly fell past.  
  
"Augh! My arm!"  
  
Sonic wrenched his arm away and rubbed it.  
  
"Yeah, I know, I know, don't follow right away. That thing nearly killed me! And your spikes nearly put out my eye."  
  
"You think that my back isn't hurting me?" he retorted. He grumbled a sigh, dismissing the incident. "Let's see what else we can do besides knock the crap out of each other."  
  
Still in the air, Lazer floated over to a large rock, twice taller and about ten times wider than he was. Sonic was not exactly sure what Lazer would do, maybe blast it to rubble, but was certainly surprised. The rock shuddered, and a tremor ran along the ground. Lazer was holding both hands in front of him, toward the big stone, brow bent with concentration. After a struggle against gravity and the invisible force, the rock broke free of its earthly roots and heaved upward from the ground. With Lazer guiding it with both hands, the rock slowly hovered upward. Sonic found himself gaping, jaw ajar. The rock stood still for one moment, and then with a gesture from Lazer's arms, flew through the air and crashed noisily into the ground, splitting into three pieces.  
  
"W- what the hell," Sonic murmured. Lazer inhaled deeply and turned around. A red light receded from his eyes.  
  
"Telekinetic powers. Thousands of times stronger than what I usually have."  
  
At last, the sunset came, its orange light upon the clouds. The shadows of the Gardens melted into the darkness, while the Brothers, seeing by their own light, trained.  
  
  
  
"Where are they?" Sally wondered aloud. She was standing on a parapet of the castle, trying to look past the trees and to the sky, where she hoped to spy some colourful lights approaching.  
  
"Those boys, they must be practicing hard. Well, we finally have a means to victory."  
  
She turned on the LED light in her watch.  
  
"Nine thirty three. They've been out for five hours, thirteen minutes."  
  
She sighed. She wished that Sonic could have shown her the sunset from on high, since he could now fly. What else could they do besides fly around and show pretty colours? She looked at the trees obscuring the night sky, and sighed once more.  
  
"Get back here, boys. Soon."  
  
The princess turned away from the outside world and retired to her bed. Beneath the castle, Knothole was doing the same, as the streetlights went out and parents called their children inside. 


	13. Here we go again

Chapter 13- here we go again.  
  
The guards allowed the Brothers to stand outside of Sally's room, but barred the entrance.  
  
"You cannot disturb her until she is awake," the guard repeated for the fourth time. He was unconcerned that the two intruders were giving off rainbow lights. Sonic threw up his arms in exasperation.  
  
"Well? How do we tell her?"  
  
"Sonic, it is twenty to six in the morning. You could let her sleep for a while longer," Lazer said in a slightly tired voice. He and Sonic had slept beneath the stars, upon the swaying grass. Lazer remembered that Marble Gardens had been people-less during the day, and peaceful at night. He would surely return there to meditate.  
  
"I wanted to tell her that we're going!"  
  
"Good grief, we can wait, you know."  
  
"With just today and tomorrow left? We're screwed if we don't get the battle over soon!"  
  
"Whether or not we're screwed, I will tell her now. Just be quiet for a while."  
  
"But."  
  
"Shh!"  
  
Lazer closed his eyes and focused his thoughts beyond the door, seeing into the room. Normally, he could not do this, but the Rainbow had greatly amplified his mental abilities. He saw Sally, fast asleep. She was dreaming of. well, only Lazer knew what she dreamt at that time. He smiled inwardly and contacted her mind.  
  
"Princess."  
  
Sally's breath paused for a moment.  
  
"Princess. This is Lazer. Sonic and I will attempt to defeat the sorceress and bring Robotnik back to justice. Sonic says that he loves you, and will come back to you soon. Until then, Princess, sleep well. We will return."  
  
He opened his eyes, and looked at Sonic.  
  
"I told her that you love her and will come back from the battle."  
  
"Well, you read my mind. HEY! Did you really read my mind?"  
  
Lazer smiled again.  
  
"I can do many things. Come, we're leaving now."  
  
Sonic snorted irritably.  
  
"You keep out of my head, you hear me? Just because we're temporary 'brothers' doesn't mean you have to peek at my thoughts!"  
  
"Sonic, I would not want to peek at any of your thoughts for all the Chaos Emeralds on Mobius."  
  
"Good. HEY! You insulted me again!"  
  
Lazer had already flown through a window, framed against the foliage of the forest.  
  
"Follow me, I know the fastest way to Robotropolis."  
  
The other hedgehog mumbled disgustedly and lifted off the ground. When he was about a meter away from the window, he heard a very loud shout from behind him.  
  
"SONIC! What are you two doing? GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"  
  
"Sal?!" he shouted in return. He turned away and cupped his hands:  
  
"LAZER! GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"  
  
"I heard her yell the first time!"  
  
Seconds later, the two Brothers were standing before Sally, who was dressed in a white nightgown.  
  
"Listen to me, you fools! You can't just up and go and defeat our archenemy whenever you want!" she said scathingly. Sonic was tempted to laugh at her, his furious gowned girl.  
  
"Sal, we're doing everyone a favour."  
  
"Oh, no, you're not!" she declared loudly. The guards in the hall flinched at her heated words, "You can't win the victory for yourselves alone! Have you forgotten that you're part of a team? The Freedom Fighters won't accept the fact that a pair of hedgehogs made them look worthless!"  
  
"She has a point, Sonic," Lazer said. Sonic sighed heavily, and forced the frustration to pass. He did not want to be angry with Sally.  
  
"Okay, Okay! We'll let everyone fight with us!"  
  
"Good! Just make sure the same thing doesn't happen again! We can't afford to lose any more fighters to that fat bastard, or his sorceress!"  
  
"Fine, Sally, fine! Give it a rest!"  
  
She dropped her angry face and smiled again. It was a welcome change of attitude.  
  
"Excellent. I like it when you listen to me. I'll tell my Dad, so we can gather the Freedom Fighters once more."  
  
"The ultimate showdown," Lazer said gravely. He stepped out of the window (he had his own agenda) and left the couple behind. Sally invited Sonic to her room, and they talked, without the guards listening. He told her about the new powers he and Lazer had gained, and what they had accomplished the evening before at the zone. Her eyes shone with wonder at the amazing story he told.  
  
"We're going to win," she whispered, convinced, "we can't lose now. Not even Super Sonic could match your combined power!"  
  
"I know. Me and Lazer will deal out some major damage if Robotnik so much as hiccups."  
  
"Don't forget the sorceress, Hannah, you said? I think that she'll pose a bigger threat."  
  
"You may be right, then again, we're even more dangerous than she could hope to be!"  
  
Sonic sat himself on her bedside and grinned.  
  
"Heh. That little moment we had by the river yesterday was memorable."  
  
"Shh! Don't let the guards hear!"  
  
"Oh, yeah, I remember it all. I had to stop you! Imagine that, I had to say no, instead of you!"  
  
Sally blushed furiously.  
  
"Just. just shut up about that, okay?" she said weakly. A wide smile spread across Sonic's face, a smile of amusement and triumph. She was no longer the righteous one.  
  
"Do you have any idea how big the scandal would be, if they found out that you wanted it worse than I did?"  
  
A thundercloud enveloped her face. She trembled visibly before him, fists balled tightly.  
  
"You. shut. up. about that, or I will kill you, slowly."  
  
Sonic had sense enough to back off. Never argue with a woman when she was in that condition, he thought dismally.  
  
"Calm down, Sal. I didn't mean it at all."  
  
He got off the bed and drew nearer. Half-reluctantly, she allowed him to hug her.  
  
"Don't worry, my princess. Hey, let's go for some breakfast. We're both starving."  
  
"You're right. Let me get dressed."  
  
"Okay."  
  
He moved away and stood beside her dresser.  
  
"I meant, let me get dressed, with you on the other side of the door," she said slowly.  
  
"I take my leave," he said, defeated once again, and did a sweeping bow. He left the room with that same unbearable grin on his face. The door closed silently.  
  
"Damn you, Sonic," she said softly, "Just. damn you."  
  
But she was also smiling.  
  
  
  
The morning passed. The King and his cohorts had done a marvelous job of gathering the Freedom Fighters once more, for the latest strike upon Robotropolis. The army needed convincing (not to mention a morale boost after three days ago); so Sonic called Lazer, and they performed a few new tricks. The army was about four thousand less strong, but Sonic and Lazer, the Brothers, would make up for any lost ground. Sally once more led the main unit, wearing body armour like her followers. The King did not lead the secondary unit, but Prince Elias did instead. Sir John had talked King Acorn out of facing battle once more, and facing the chance (albeit a tiny chance, but a chance nonetheless) of defeat. The Tornado was out of action, though, its previous flier bedridden with severe injuries and Tails preferring to fight beside his Aunt Sally.  
  
"Sonic, I'm coming with you, even if you don't need my help," Mina was saying stubbornly. She was wearing the same scarf, but clutching a different laser knife.  
  
"Mina, c'mon, it's way too dangerous. Remember what happened last time?"  
  
She was defiant. Lazer, witnessing the petty argument, stepped in.  
  
"Mina. You told me yesterday that you lost your parents in Robotropolis. I know better than anyone here how it feels to lose people you love, and how it feels to want revenge, but you would be far more useful with the army. You have supersonic speed, and the army has become much weaker. They'll need your help, but we won't."  
  
She looked into his coal black eyes, and then at the colours glowing about his body. She had no argument left.  
  
"Ugh, you're absolutely right. I hate it when I lose arguments! Oh well. goodbye, you two, and make sure you come back to tell me about the battle!"  
  
She zipped away from them.  
  
"Nice going, man. You got rid of her."  
  
"I didn't get rid of her. I convinced her that she'd be useful elsewhere."  
  
"In other words, you got rid of her."  
  
"I can't change your opinion. Okay, they're going to start in five minutes. Let's get into position."  
  
The rainbow-marked Brothers stood beside Sally, beneath the forest's canopy. Sonic wore his special silver gauntlets. Tension was in the air, and Lazer sensed that the soldiers behind him were all in doubt that they would be alive within the next few hours. He also sensed that they were not going to surrender without fighting to the bitter end. The great army of the Freedom Fighters was ready, for the last bid, the showdown to end all showdowns.  
  
"Here we go again, people! ONWARD!" Sally cried.  
  
  
  
Robotnik noticed the warning claxons that a large group of creatures was advancing upon Robotropolis. He yawned and pressed a single button, to mobilize all available military forces to that particular area. He was bored. They would simply be crushed again. He had eavesdropped upon the conversation that Hannah had with her emerald. He was very confident, and unafraid that the two Brothers presented a threat.  
  
"Come to me and die, Sonic. Fly to your death, insect. She will swat you, and I shall stamp you dead."  
  
  
  
The battle was one sided. The robots had been upgraded, supplied with new artillery, and given more accurate tactical programs, but they were being destroyed hundreds at a time. A single blast from any of the two shining Brothers sent the mechanical forces reeling back. Sonic, as you would understand, was having the time of his life.  
  
"Wave your guns about! See if I care! Take THAT!"  
  
Aimed a hundred feet from the ground, the rainbow beams brought fiery doom to the robots. Each ugly robot Sonic laid eyes upon reminded him of Robotnik. Lazer was also enjoying himself.  
  
"Let's see. thirteen Hoverbots coming my way! I should be scared."  
  
He flashed a smile and blasted the airborne troops out of the sky with a single rainbow. They trailed smoke to the ground, crashing into their own kind. After vanquishing many foes, he assessed the situation on the ground and called mentally to Sonic.  
  
"Hey, Brother, let's take the cat out. We've helped our friends enough."  
  
Sonic grimaced as the words spoke in his head.  
  
"I ain't your bro. Let me have just one more minute!"  
  
"One."  
  
Sonic happily showed off his earth-shattering capabilities, leaving half of the enemy left for the other Fighters to handle. He looked upon his work, and saw that it was good. Then he followed Lazer's rainbow trail to their ultimate battle. 


	14. The evil kitty

Chapter 14: the evil kitty  
  
"Where is she? The darkness comes from here."  
  
They were deep within Robotnik's city. Lazer and Sonic looked at the aircraft hangar. Both of them felt the all-to familiar darkness that came from the Black Emerald.  
  
"Hannah! Come out and play! We won't hurt you too badly!"  
  
"Company," came the one word warning from Lazer.  
  
They were under siege by a large gathering of hoverbots and combots. Exchanging glances for a split second, they leaped into action. The robots' artillery hit air, not because Sonic was faster than sound or Lazer had formed an indestructible shield, but because the robots were simply destroyed before they had a chance to even aim. Two rainbows shot down from the wreckage, and the warriors reformed.  
  
"Man, I wish I never lose these powers!"  
  
"More company," Lazer said. He was staring at something that had emerged from the hangar, and was suspended in mid-air. It was Hannah, but there was something else about her that was so vile he could not express it in words.  
  
"Pure. evil. I can't sense a trace of light within that thing."  
  
"What? Hannah?"  
  
"Sonic, that may look like Hannah, but I know it is not. Even Robotnik had shades of gray within his mind, but the mind of this. thing, it's dark. So very black, I can't even sense a conscience."  
  
Sonic said nothing. When Lazer got all moody and mysterious like that, it was not much use to talk. He looked at Hannah closely. She was wearing the two-piece, gray suit that she had worn during the first encounter, but there was something about her face. The confident grin was gone, replaced by a grimace of unadulterated hatred and contempt. Her eyes glittered not green, but black. That was the difference. Her eyes were black diamonds that glared down at him in a very disturbing manner.  
  
"You. The Brothers of the Rainbow."  
  
It was her voice, but also changed. It was not charming or even derisive, but expressionless. If she were not fiercely glaring in their direction, they would have thought her bored.  
  
"You have come to defeat me once again, have you? You are both weak in comparison to the Brothers that defeated me thousands of years past."  
  
"Defeated you? You're not that old!"  
  
"You are also ignorant, Sonic. This body, this shell, contains my thoughts and a portion of my magic. I am the One who is imprisoned within the Black Emerald."  
  
"So it's you," whispered Lazer, and then his voice grew louder, "You, the one who was trapped inside of the emerald. You're using her body!"  
  
"You are correct, bearer of Chaos Emeralds. I will not be imprisoned for another five millennia. I will break free of that jewel prison and reclaim Mobius."  
  
Hannah, who was not Hannah, descended to the ground and the air became dark around her.  
  
"She's using the same shield," Lazer warned, and assumed a fighting position. He wished that he had his sword, so he could use the flat edge to knock her out. Sonic frowned and stretched his right arm forward.  
  
"Good riddance," he said, and fired off a single beam. The rainbow struck the invisible surface, and moments later there came a burst of white energy! The Brothers shielded their eyes from the flash of light and then looked again. She had not moved, but the air was normal again, if the damp, misty air that covered Robotropolis was normal.  
  
"Very well. I will make you suffer."  
  
"Do not think so!" Sonic shouted, and released another rainbow strike. Several emotions ran through Lazer, a mixture of expectation, doubt and fear. He did not want Hannah to be killed, because she was not in control, but the entity of evil was. He saw the rainbow hit her feline form, and heard a cry escape her lips.  
  
"Bulls eye," Sonic said grimly. Hannah faltered, unsteady with her step, but her body was not injured.  
  
"That burned. Like the first time!"  
  
She was angry now. Before either had time to react, she flung her arms outward and they were both thrown violently backward by the spell. They crashed painfully into a metallic wall, and slid to the ground. She was flying speedily toward them, while casting another spell. It was not the conventional attack spell, but something even more destructive. She first targeted Sonic.  
  
"Sonic the Hedgehog, fastest creature on Mobius. Was your speed enough to save your parents from the pain of roboticization? Were you fast enough to save your King, who was paralyzed, and unable to walk due to your own mishap? Shameful, you are. You act proud and mighty, so sure of yourself, but you know that you are nothing more than words. You cannot escape from your own clumsiness!"  
  
Sonic's mind had heard those cruel words, and he was remembering the shame and remorse he had felt when the King was injured, at his own fault. He would not normally be affected by past memories, but the spell was bonded to his mind, and its compelling power caused him to break down and cry, overwhelmed with emotion.  
  
"I didn't mean to! It wasn't me!"  
  
Lazer looked with alarm at the evil being done to Sonic.  
  
"Lying to yourself, all these years, that you are a hero! How many parents needlessly lost their children because you could not run fast enough to save them? How many allies became roboticized due to your stupid mistakes? Pathetic!"  
  
She was causing him to feel sorrow that was not his, and emotions that he could not handle.  
  
"Stop! Oh, Goddess!" he pleaded. His mind was in a whirl of terrors, people pleading for his help and being cut down, people becoming roboticized and screaming while it happened. She relentlessly conveyed the emotions and thoughts toward him, until he was a cowering mass of blue fur, sobbing hopelessly on the ground. The rainbows upon his body dimmed.  
  
"Mind tricks! You fight dirty," uttered Lazer. He was feeling the intense flames of anger rising within him, toward this thing that had possessed Hannah and done terrible things to Sonic's mind. "Stop, or I will kill you," he said, and formed a ball of chaos energy in an open palm.  
  
She turned her gaze toward him. He held it evenly.  
  
"The second Brother. You have even more to be ashamed of than that weak fool. Countless millions have died in your country. I know why they died. You may think it was Robotnik that dropped the bomb, but it was you that brought destruction upon your race!"  
  
"Liar! Robotnik is responsible!"  
  
"No! You do not know why he had dropped it. I can read your mind. You were in the sky, in the Death Egg's airspace, when the bomb was dropped. You were shooting down aerial forces. When Robotnik found out that his robots were being shot down so close to his location, he thought that your military had sent fighter jets to attack his Death Egg. He decided that he was in too much danger, and it was the final straw. So you see, Lazer, if you had not been fighting in the war, Robotnik would not have dropped his bomb."  
  
Lazer was thunderstruck, and he forgot the energy ball in his hand. There was a part of his mind that screamed, "Don't listen to her lies!" But the larger part of his conscience had accepted the fact. The enchantment was too strong. He was thinking dark thoughts. that he had never forgiven himself for what had happened. He should have attacked Robotnik at the source, before he had a chance to drop that gigantic bomb. He should have killed Robotnik when he had the opportunity, by invading the Death Egg!  
  
"Me. my fault." he whispered.  
  
"Yes. It is your fault that your family died. It is your fault that your friends perished. IT IS YOUR FAULT THAT MILLIONS LOST THEIR LIVES!" she screamed harshly, her black eyes blazing with accusation. Overcome by the new knowledge, Lazer, the fighter whose resolve never broke, sunk to the ground, and tears came from his eyes.  
  
"All those people. by the Ancient Walkers. I never knew! I never knew!" he howled, and backed against the wall, his eyes full of tears and the horror.  
  
"So sorry. make it stop!" Sonic wailed, and beat his head against the ground. She was effectively killing them with the mind spell.  
  
"Die now, you foolish children, die with despair!" The voice hissed into their minds.  
  
"NO!" Lazer shouted. He had stood up, shaking his head with disbelief. She rounded on him with energies forming in her hands, and attacked him ferociously. The dark forces mercilessly tore into his body, racking it with a pain and a sizzling burn. He screamed once and fell. On the ground, the pain was returning his mind to normal, breaking the enchantment.  
  
"No," he gasped, "I will not die, even if it was my fault."  
  
"Silence, fool! You will die!"  
  
She focused upon his body, and his mind, and began to rip at them magically. Many cries the Brother gave, and none of them answered, except with more pain.  
  
"Stop it. damn it, you."  
  
She stopped the onslaught and turned toward Sonic. He was still curled up foetus-like on the cold hard ground, the tears leaking from his eyes.  
  
"Stop doing that, he doesn't deserve more pain!"  
  
"What will you do, little hedgehog? Will you defy me with what remains of your ego?"  
  
"I swear that I will stand up," he replied, and floated off the ground, landing unsteadily on his feet. He was breathing with difficulty, but stared her in the eye.  
  
"Go back to hell where you came from!" he yelled, and struck with his gauntlet fist. She stepped aside and gave a glancing blow of dark magic. Winded, Sonic fell to the ground, barely gasping.  
  
"Your lives were worthless, and worthlessly you will die."  
  
She raised her head to listen beyond the faint breathing of the Brothers.  
  
"I hear battle in the distance. All of your Freedom Fighters will contribute to my resurrection."  
  
"Never. will I let my allies fall unaided."  
  
"What?"  
  
She considered the barely alive form of Lazer. He was spread eagled on the ground, his fingers grasping at air, the rainbow lights fading.  
  
"My mind is a fortress against the powers of darkness," he said laboriously.  
  
"You are wrong. I defeated you mentally."  
  
"And. I shall not let my brother fall," he continued. A light came from his body, not the lights of the Rainbow, but the crimson light of the five Chaos Emeralds within his being. The light suffused his prone form, and he was lifted off the ground by it.  
  
"Your emeralds cannot defeat me, Bearer of Five. The One Dark Jewel is enough."  
  
She held out an arm, palm outward, and cast another spell. The red light disappeared and Lazer collapsed to the ground, conquered at last.  
  
"Testing me was not wise. Die now, and join your Ancient Walkers. But I do not believe that even they will save Mobius from my wrath."  
  
"Then Destiny will save it!"  
  
"This cannot be." she began saying, as she turned toward Sonic again, until she was struck full force by two rainbows. The brilliant colour beams picked up her body, spun it around, and slammed it into a crumpled heap against the wall. A shuddering gasp came from her. The evil entity was feeling the toll of the attack.  
  
"Truly, I have underestimated you, Sonic!"  
  
"You didn't underestimate me, you underestimated him," he said, and nodded toward Lazer, "Lazer healed me when that light surrounded him. He gave what remained of his strength to me."  
  
"Hmm. Will he save you now?"  
  
She began to float off the ground, but he did nothing. She sneered at him.  
  
"Will you not even attack me again?"  
  
"You. You, thing, whatever you are, you have no idea who I am."  
  
"I know who you are."  
  
"Now you're the ignorant one."  
  
The being within scoured Hannah's mind. What was this impudent mortal insinuating, about him being something more than what he was? The being could find nothing except what it already knew.  
  
"What are you talking about, mortal? There is nothing that I do not know about you."  
  
"Do you know how fast I can move?"  
  
"You." she said, but did not realize that Sonic had been distracting her. Before the last syllable of the word was spoken, Sonic had leaped off the ground and bodily crashed into her, a spin attack that held the rainbow energy. Before the being could even think about reacting again, he had bounced away and proceeded to hit her twenty times more, in a furious bombardment of spin strikes! He did not break any bones, he did not need to, he did not slash with his quills, he did not need to do that either, but struck her repeatedly with the Rainbow. It was enough.  
  
"Mortal. I. curse. you."  
  
Her body fell to the ground and moved no more, eyes vacant and staring. The being within was thoroughly 'burned'. Sonic smoothed back his hair.  
  
"Never, ever underestimate my speed, fool," he sneered. He was talking to the foreign entity, and not to Hannah. Then he regarded Lazer.  
  
"Lazer, you can get up now."  
  
The red hedgehog did not respond.  
  
"Damn it!"  
  
Sonic ran to Lazer's side and knelt. He felt for a pulse, and got one. It was skipping beats, a very bad sign.  
  
"Lazer, you old bastard, if you don't get up, I'll never forgive you," he muttered. Without thinking he placed a hand on Lazer's head. The last thing he expected was a reaction, so he received a reaction. Lazer's voice whispered broken words into his mind.  
  
"They. told me. the rainbow. use it."  
  
"What?" he asked, but heard no more thoughts. He got up and paced around in indecision.  
  
"Damn it, dammit! Why does it have to be me who does the risky stuff?"  
  
He looked down at Lazer, and remembered the words. Never let your brother fall. Lazer is not my brother, he thought for the thousandth time, but in a way, he is.  
  
"If this goes wrong, I apologize in advance, bro."  
  
Sonic closed his eyes and poured rainbow beams from his fists to Lazer. The light was so bright that it penetrated his eyelids, and white was all he could see. He prayed to Destiny, a short heartfelt prayer, for Lazer. Amidst the bright flame in his eyes, a voice was speaking.  
  
"You can stop now."  
  
"Lazer!" he shouted, and opened his eyes. The other hedgehog was looking at him with a wry grin, and standing tall.  
  
"Thanks, bro. I don't know why, but I always seem to get badly injured in these climatic battles."  
  
"Yeah, I noticed, and that sucks. Well, at least you're alive, and never felt better?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
A thought occurred to Lazer. He swung himself around and looked up at the tallest tower.  
  
"Augh! Robotnik! He must have seen this happen!"  
  
"Oh, no! He must have upped and gone a long time ago!"  
  
They both swore venomously. Lazer looked down at Hannah's body.  
  
"Poor girl. She was being used like a puppet."  
  
" 'Poor girl'? Correct me if I'm mistaken, but didn't she almost kill you two days ago? And shouldn't we go after Robotnik? I need to get back at him real bad."  
  
"Okay, but you'll have to stay here with her."  
  
"What! Why do I have to baby-sit?"  
  
"Sonic, you did your part by stopping her, and saving my life. I can't let you do everything, you know. If she wakes up, blast her again. That thing is still inside her, and very much alive."  
  
Lazer soared high above the ground and closed his eyes. He reached out with the enhanced mental powers and felt for Robotnik. He could pick out Robotnik's mind within a crowd of a million people, and there were not many people in the city. He felt, and saw what he needed to see.  
  
"He's on the run! I'm going after him! Stay here!"  
  
"Aw! Go already!" Sonic yelled back. Lazer took off, blazing rainbows in his wake, toward Robotnik.  
  
Left alone with the sorceress, Sonic grumbled angrily and looked at her unconscious body.  
  
"Girl, if it weren't for you, I'd be kicking his blubbery butt right now." 


	15. In the end

Chapter 15- in the end  
  
"How goes the battle, Sir John?"  
  
The king was speaking to the knight via videophone.  
  
"Very well, Sire! Sonic and Lazer helped us immensely, and then invaded Robotropolis. I espied some bright flashes that originated from the heart of the city. I believe that they are faring well, as we are."  
  
"Excellent news! Thank you. How is my daughter?"  
  
"Her majesty, Sally? I will inquire."  
  
He was viewing the battle from a hillock, away from the battlefield but close enough to watch the action. The remaining robots were being destroyed, not easily, but surely. He set the frequency on his transmitter.  
  
"Your majesty!" he said loudly, "Are you quite well?"  
  
"Yes, Sir John! Thanks for asking."  
  
He heard a bomb blast, marred with static.  
  
"Are you quite sure of your safety?" he asked again.  
  
"Yes, that was just another dead robot! Princess signing out."  
  
Sir John addressed the King once more.  
  
"Your daughter is safe. She is a very good fighter, Sire."  
  
"Yes, she is a spirited fighter, unfortunately. I would have preferred that she live in peaceful times."  
  
"I share you sentiments, Sire."  
  
  
  
Sally and her soldiers were winning. Elias had 'joined the fray' with his militia about ten minutes ago. They were driving the robot army back to the city from which they were spawned. They did not worry about gun turrets or cloaked defenses, since the two Brothers had decimated half of their enemy.  
  
"Sally! Watch your back!"  
  
It was Tails, swooping toward her from above. He fired an EMP shot behind her, and she could smell the fried circuits.  
  
"Thanks! I can do fine by myself."  
  
They fought together, 'aunt' and 'nephew'. Sally was in the heat of the fight, but always, she thought of Sonic. Where was he? What was he doing? She couldn't help but think of him. Love does that to a princess.  
  
  
  
He was experiencing fear, an emotion he was intimately acquainted with. He was fleeing for his dear life in the EggMobile.  
  
"I hate you, Sonic, and your friends, I hate you all!"  
  
The EggMobile was retreating as fast as it could go, bobbing along the regions of air and clouds, bearing its creator to a safe haven.  
  
"Some day. I swear to all the Gods and Goddesses. I will have vengeance!"  
  
"It is NOT nice to swear like that!"  
  
Robotnik's heart very nearly stopped. He was fearful that he would have a stroke at any moment. Lazer!  
  
"Get away from me, you freak!" he shouted hoarsely, and aimed a barrage of missiles at the rainbow-marked hedgehog that was following him.  
  
"Ah, you are amusing," Lazer laughed, and held up one hand toward the threat of explosive death. The missiles quivered, halted in mid-flight, then fell from the sky, useless. Lazer heard a long wail come from the EggMobile's flier. It was a drawn out yowl, like the death cry of an animal. It was the word 'NO'.  
  
"Robotnik, stop your vehicle or I will!" Lazer commanded. He flew after Robotnik for five more seconds, giving the man his chance.  
  
"It's your choice."  
  
He held out both arms this time, and made a grasping gesture with both hands. Robotnik felt himself being lifted out of the seat, by some sinister unseen force. He also felt his fat, egg-shaped body being squeezed, and his eyes nearly popped.  
  
Lazer grinned and clenched his other hand (the one that was not 'holding' Robotnik). A tremendous crunch followed, and Robotnik wheezed in terror. His EggMobile had been scrunched into a ball of scrap iron. He watched with dismay as the squashed EggMobile fell earthward.  
  
"Yes, Robotnik, I did that, and I can do it to you just as easily. Come with me, and please don't struggle."  
  
Lazer halted his flight, and reversed. He brought Robotnik around to his front, so he could keep an eye on him while he returned to Robotropolis.  
  
"Well, what do you know, Robotnik? I've won. In fact, the Freedom Fighters have won. After more than four years, you're going to taste justice, and it will be bitter."  
  
Lazer tried hard not to gloat and insult Robotnik like the dog he was. Meditation had helped him control his emotions, but he was tempted to squish Robotnik into nothing right then. He had the power to do so. All he needed to do was clench his fist. it would be so simple, and nobody would blame him, either.  
  
"Lazer. you have become. very powerful," Robotnik was gasping. Lazer snapped at him:  
  
"Silence! None of your whining will save you now. Xadra will be avenged. I'm looking forward to your execution very much."  
  
"Heh. heh. heh." the egg shaped man choked, "I will not be executed today, rodent. You will not have the satisfaction."  
  
Robotnik struggled fiercely and brought his flesh finger toward his mechanical arm. Lazer understood at once what was happening. Purely on impulse, he squeezed harder, and Robotnik's body gave way like an over- filled water balloon. His round body visibly compressed, but his finger reached the arm. Lazer screamed a single word, "NO", but too late was the cry. A green wire frame outlined the scientist under compression, and milliseconds later he had been teleported away from the crushing grip. Lazer stopped flying abruptly.  
  
"ROBOTNIK!!" he roared at the sky, furious with himself and the evil genius that had escaped. He reached out with his mind, using maximum effort, but no trace of Robotnik was to be found. Why had he failed? Why? He should have knocked Robotnik senseless before trying to capture him! He forced his rage to settle, breathed long and hard, and whispered solemn words.  
  
"Whether you are in the depths of Mobius or in the far reaches of outer space, I will hunt you down, Robotnik. I will hunt you for the rest of my life if I have to."  
  
The words were a promise to himself and to his country Xadra. He turned away and flew to Robotropolis.  
  
  
  
"Sonic?"  
  
"Sally!"  
  
They rushed into each other's arms. What did you expect, a formal conversation? The battle had ended. The remaining robots had been shot down and scrappily destroyed. The Freedom Fighters entered the city, thousands of them, baying for Robotnik's blood. They did not want to wait for a dignified military court. They wanted Robotnik dead, and they wanted him to die at their hands. He who had caused so many deaths three days ago would be eliminated without mercy. Sally broke away from Sonic's embrace and looked at the angry mob that was quickly forming.  
  
"Calm down, everyone! We will bring Robotnik down soon!"  
  
"We want him dead!" voices were shrilling. The cry soon went up, "Death to Robotnik!"  
  
"Hey, hey, HEY!" Sonic shouted at them. The mob abated their cries upon hearing Sonic's voice. "I want Robotnik to die as much as any of you. Lazer is bringing him back now! He went after Robotnik not five minutes ago! I'll be damned if he's not bringing the bastard back any time now! And I will not, I repeat, NOT permit any bloodshed!"  
  
Many voices rose in protest but Sonic shouted them down again, undaunted.  
  
"Robotnik will get justice from the King! I am not going to let any of you TOUCH him until he's safe in Knothole's prison!"  
  
"Listen to Sonic! He's making more sense than any of you!" Sally joined in, "What would your families think if you just killed Robotnik without thinking? You'll be murderers like he is! Listen to me! He will be arrested, and he WILL face justice!"  
  
"Nice one, Sal," Sonic whispered. She gave an approving nod. The angry mob was no more. They knew that it would be useless to argue with figures of such authority, and what Sally had said about them being killers if they slaughtered Robotnik was also true. They calmed down and waited. Some sat upon the city's dirty streets, but most of the army restlessly moved around. They waited for the return of Lazer with Robotnik in tow. They would have waited in vain. Minutes later Lazer fell from the clouds and explained to Sonic and Sally in a hurried, low voice about his missing parcel. They said nothing, but their minds were in turmoil. How would they calm the crowd now?  
  
"Allow me," Lazer said. The two of them stared at Lazer as if he had just offered himself as a living sacrifice to pagan gods, which was not too far off the mark. When the crowd found out he had failed to capture their archenemy, he might as well be offering himself for sacrifice.  
  
"They'll crucify him," Sally thought despairingly as Lazer walked forward. Sonic was having similar thoughts, thinking that Lazer was nuts, but mostly wondered how his 'bro' would handle the situation. Lazer now stood before the crowd. He was just standing there. Many people had drawn near and were questioning him: where was Robotnik, where was Robotnik? He held up his arms and closed his eyes.  
  
"Please be quiet. You must hear only my voice."  
  
Almost the entire army jumped, male and female alike. They were hearing someone speaking in their head!  
  
"Listen to my voice alone. Do not think of anything except what I am saying. Close your eyes, and listen carefully."  
  
Sally and Sonic watched with amazement as the streets became silent, and the multitude of people shut their eyes. Everyone had heard his calm, telepathic voice and was listening intently. Lazer did not directly speak to them, but sent his thoughts and the emotions he was trying to express. He 'told' them that he had not succeeded in capturing Robotnik, but that outrageous thought was overlaid by his feelings of sorrow and repentance, and his remorse that he had failed them. Besides this, he reassured them that they had indeed won, and that the despot would never return to haunt their lives ever again. He soothed, he comforted, and he gave hope, with an outpouring of his mind to them. Lazer 'spoke' to them so convincingly those minutes, that later when they had opened their eyes, not a soul complained. They were all content that, although Robotnik had escaped them, they had won the final victory. Robotropolis would be re-named 'New Mobopolis' and the other city would join New Mobopolis to form a grand utopia. They did not grumble about their loss, in fact, they were rejoicing. Many of them began talking avidly to each other about how life would be peaceful from then on, and some laughed together that they would enjoy moving Robotnik's things out of the city to make room for their family. As you might understand, Sonic and Sally were shocked by the massive change in demeanor in the thousands of soldiers gathered there!  
  
"I don't know how, but he's done it!" Sally said.  
  
"He used telepathy! I understand now. he used something like what the sorceress used on us, a form of telepathy that caused us to sense emotions and see thoughts!"  
  
Lazer walked slowly toward them, head bowed. He felt drained from broadcasting to the thousands.  
  
"Bro! Really good job! I'm proud of ya."  
  
"Thanks. What about Hannah?"  
  
"The cat? I put her in bed. That hangar she came out of was her house, or something."  
  
"I told you not to leave her!" Lazer said anxiously, and flew past them to Hannah's place. Sally was confused, but Sonic explained. The evil being inside of the sorceress' body was still alive, and could do more damage. Lazer was making sure that nothing else went wrong today.  
  
  
  
"I was defeated! Defeated once more!"  
  
The thing inside of Hannah was enraged, and in pain. It had awoken on the bed, still writhing within the feline body, and remembered its loss to the Brothers. Since that battle, Hannah's mind had emerged, and they were both conversing within the same mind.  
  
"I am sorry, but I suppose that your powers weren't enough, even when you possessed my body."  
  
"Foolish girl!" it hissed, "Your body is worthless! Useless! It was meant to bring me victory, and brought me defeat! For that I will make this body die!"  
  
"What? WHY?"  
  
The being resumed command, and started chanting another spell, one that would slay the caster. Hannah was screaming.  
  
"I do not deserve this! It was your magic that wasn't enough! If you had tried harder, you would have won, but I do not deserve to die like this! Stop! Stop!"  
  
She fought for control, but gained none. The evil creature continued to chant, cold heartedly, with no qualms about speeding Hannah to heaven or hell. All at once, the chanting ceased, and the sorceress raised her head to the doorway. A dazzling light was shining under the door, and as the 'two' of them watched, the door opened. She shielded her eyes as the living light walked into the room.  
  
"I told you before that I would kill you. I will now carry out my threat!"  
  
He was Lazer the hedgehog, a Brother of the Rainbow. The marks upon his skin were shining gloriously, but to the sorceress it was intolerably painful to watch.  
  
"You again! But you cannot kill me. I know your mind and you will not kill me!"  
  
"Oh?" he asked in contrary, "I can kill you, evil creature, but I will not kill Hannah."  
  
"You may try, but you will not succeed. I will overcome you and use your body instead!"  
  
"Make your own body. As the old phrase says, prepare to die."  
  
The hedgehog and cat both pointed arms at one another, and attacked. The rainbow crashed into the discharge of black energy, and a resounding boom shook the hangar, shattering glass and upending ornaments. The two forces were matched evenly, but they refused to give up.  
  
"We are even!" said Hannah.  
  
"No. I have more than just the Rainbow."  
  
Lazer reached within his being, and called forth his original power. The five Chaos Emeralds were summoned to attack, and attack they did. The Emeralds recognized the Rainbow; magic created by the Ancient Walkers, so they accepted it and strengthened it. The two powers, united, exploded from Lazer in a devastating blow of magic. The sorceress and the evil entity that possessed her could not hope to withstand such a massive output of power. She was thrown down, off the bed and onto the floor. She bowled over her coffee table and slid to a halt on the gray carpet. Lazer walked toward her, and she held up her arms, shielding her face from his light.  
  
"Please. let me live in this body. I promise not to destroy it. I will go away from here."  
  
"No. She does not deserve to be infected with your presence."  
  
He kneeled and placed both hands on her head. The voice hissed.  
  
"Die."  
  
"You first."  
  
A flare of conflicting powers came from their bodies. His was the power of the Ancient Walkers. Hers was the essence of Evil itself. The powers met and one of them overcame. The Rainbow entered Hannah's mind and extinguished all traces of the creature's presence, clearing her mind of the evil and the blackness. The light had triumphed once more. However, there was damage to be repaired: Hannah was still screaming for help. She awoke from the dark dream and cried aloud.  
  
"No! I can't die!"  
  
She surged forward, terrified, but Lazer held her. He forced her to look into his eyes.  
  
"Hannah! The evil is gone from your body. It is no longer there. Do you understand?"  
  
"Such. dark. evil." she said to him. Her eyes were jade-coloured, proof that the dark force held no more authority.  
  
"Hannah. It's okay now. It's gone and it won't come back. The nightmare is over."  
  
She was starting to cry, tears that soaked into her facial fur. She sobbed once and fell into him. He was startled, but she was hugging him closely. He awkwardly returned the embrace.  
  
"You're warm," she sniffed, and laid her head upon his chest. He felt her hot tears rolling down his skin, and her furry arms around him. No one had held him like that for years. He was not sure what to do with her, the black cat who had wanted to kill him not two days past, but she needed comfort after being in hell for so long.  
  
"How touching."  
  
"Yes. It is strange."  
  
"Very strange."  
  
"I shall never understand young people."  
  
Lazer stared around the room. Four voices. The elders! Hannah stopped hugging him and looked around with fear. The elders! They would punish her.  
  
"Congratulations on your victory, Lazer."  
  
"But the time is drawing to a close. We must take the Black Emerald."  
  
"We will stop the evil spell from taking place, prevent the creature's-ss rebirth, and thus spare your allies-ss from death's hand."  
  
"You may have grown fond of my great, great-niece, but she must return with us. She will face a grave sentence."  
  
"Don't let them take me!" Hannah begged, looking into his eyes. Lazer sighed and held her paws in his.  
  
"I don't exactly like you enough to defend you. But I know they won't kill you. You should be glad that they've come for you, Hannah. Maybe after you serve the sentence, and become a good sorceress, is when I'll see you again."  
  
"You won't come with me? I'm sure the elders will permit you to stay on our island. At least I'll have a friend there waiting for me!"  
  
A friend? Lazer shook his head.  
  
"I'm with the Freedom Fighters, but I think that we'll meet again. I've got your life signature burned onto my mind. If you ever come to this country again, I'll be able seek you out."  
  
"Yes, to see if I'm being a good kitty. It's too bad. you're the first person I had any real affection for."  
  
"I'm sorry that I can't say the same."  
  
"Oh yes! Your girlfriend, Rebecca, the one I learned about from your mind. She's a good person, but I suppose your opinion of her was masked by love."  
  
"She's the most precious creature that Mobius has ever seen," Lazer said with reverence, "And no one will ever replace her."  
  
"Well, seems that I've got competition."  
  
Hannah got to her feet and held out her paw. Lazer stood and looked down at it.  
  
"Will we be friends from now on?"  
  
"Yes, we can, unless you become naughty again."  
  
He offered his hand, and she shook it. Then she pulled him toward her and smooched him hard. He did not resist her passion during those intense moments. She pushed away from him and licked her smiling lips.  
  
"So now I know what you taste like. I won't forget you, either."  
  
"Uh. yeah. Goodbye, Hannah."  
  
"Goodbye, Lazer. Oh, and she's alive. Thought you would like to know."  
  
"She."  
  
Hannah and the Black Emerald faded away. Lazer paused for a while to ponder what she had said. "She" was alive? It could only mean one person, one girl.  
  
"If she is, then by the Walkers, I will find her again."  
  
Lazer looked around at Hannah's room, chuckled for a moment, and walked away.  
  
  
  
The homecoming to Knothole was fantastic. The Freedom Fighters who were waiting gave a tremendous cheer, as their fellow citizens emerged from the trees, victorious. The festivities died down when they heard that Robotnik had not been captured, but the returning soldiers gave their fellows something to think about when they said that Robotnik would never return. All in all, they were happy. The thunderclouds had been removed. The darkness had passed. The sun would shine anew. Friends and families laughed together on the streets, retelling the battle and how they fought. It was a wonderful day. The King declared it a national holiday, and the joy was complete.  
  
"This day will forever be remembered as one of triumph and glory, when Robotnik was driven away and the Freedom Fighters celebrated victory," the King was heard saying. Sally and Elias rejoined their parents and there was much joy in Knothole castle that day, also.  
  
The hours passed, and the day grew old. Those who had not returned to the Freedom Fighter city were doing so now.  
  
"I'll tell my boyfriend all about you, Sonic!" Mina said to him. She gave him a quick hug and ran home with her suitcases. He and Tails waved as she disappeared through the trees.  
  
"She's gonna make him happy, that's for sure!" Sonic remarked, laughing. Tails laughed with him.  
  
"Hey, Sonic, what about your girlfriend?"  
  
Sonic's eyes widened.  
  
"Hey! Now's the perfect time! Bye Tails, I got some business to take care of."  
  
"Good luck, Sonic!"  
  
His friend raced away.  
  
"I hope they make me the best man," Tails said happily to himself. He spun his tails and flew off to his hut, tires from the partying.  
  
Bunnie had been secretly watching and listening to Sonic and Tails from the walkways above the huts. She smiled broadly as the blue hedgehog raced off, in the name of love.  
  
"Well, muh shuga-hog, I hope y'all will have me as a bridesmaid."  
  
She stood watching over Knothole and heard footfalls drawing near. She smiled again as her boyfriend, Antoine, approached.  
  
"Shuga-Ant, do y'all know that Sonic's gonna propose to Sally?'  
  
"Propose? Well, I weesh ze princess and him a happy life."  
  
"Y'all don't feel a tiny bit jealous?"  
  
"Why should I, when I have a most beautiful woman for myself?"  
  
She blushed and turned her head away.  
  
"Aw, shuga-Ant, y'all embarrassing me."  
  
He came close and spoke softly into her ear, with that French accent of his.  
  
"I found a very quiet glade in ze forest. Won't you join me, darleeng?"  
  
Thus, another happy couple went to celebrate.  
  
  
  
Sally was talking with her family in the dining hall when a guard knocked lightly on the door.  
  
"Your majesties, please excuse me. There is a message for Princess Sally."  
  
Seconds later, Sally had left, the message in her mind: 'You know where.'  
  
  
  
The day was becoming darker; the sun was near to setting. The forest, which sunlight had trouble breaking through during the day, was pitch black. Sally was unconcerned about this, walking along a very familiar path. It led to a green, uncovered section of ground with a large, smooth tree stump at its dead center. Sonic and herself had found it years ago, and had used it to meet and talk often. She saw an array of lights coming from the open section of forest now; it was Sonic with the Rainbow about him. He had both arms behind his back, and was looking intently at her.  
  
"I was waiting for ten minutes, forty four seconds," he said, as she stepped onto the tree stump. It had a wide surface, more than enough space to lay full body length.  
  
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked simply, though she already knew.  
  
"About us. I, uh, wrote this poem."  
  
He brought his left arm from behind his back, with a crumpled piece of paper in hand. He began to read, with the dying sunlight and the Rainbow around him:  
  
"We have loved each other for years,  
  
Through the joys and the tears.  
  
There are so many things we've left unsaid  
  
And preferred to hide our feelings instead  
  
But now, the time for unmasking has come  
  
Since the battle we have won.  
  
Together, you and I will stay  
  
Always together, from this day.  
  
Now I ask you, Sally Acorn, to be my wife  
  
Until Destiny leads us to another life."  
  
Sonic performed the traditional falling-to-one-knee and brought his other hand forward. It held an open silk box, and in the midst of the small cushion was the ring. The gold was twenty karats (eleven month's salary, remember), and the diamond was almost four millimeters in width. The precious stone glittered magnificently from the light of the Rainbow. Sally was struck speechless, and all her eyes could see was that ring with its huge diamond. Her knees felt weak, and her stomach tied itself in knots. She was ready to collapse. Her heart was fluttering rapidly, like it did during a kiss.  
  
"Yes." she squeaked, and then, "Yes!" she cried ecstatically. Sonic exhaled again, his heart about to burst within his chest. He slipped the ring onto her left hand and stood up, kissing her without delay. Destiny is so good to me, he thought blissfully, and I do not deserve Her mercy. The kiss lasted almost a full minute, the oral embrace that sealed their future together. They at last pulled away from each other's lips, and breathed heavily. They felt a floating sensation, and their hearts and minds were filled with blissful joy. Never before had they been so happy with each other held close.  
  
"I love you," he whispered into her ear. This "I love you" meant worlds more than all the others he had said to her.  
  
"Sonic, oh Goddess, I love you more," she said, and tears ran from her eyes. He, too was crying, but did not feel ashamed. Tears of joy, tears of happiness, fell from their faces and mingled on the tree stump between them. They began another long kiss, and forgot everything else in the universe.  
  
  
  
Lazer had walked all the way back to his hut, thinking long and hard about what he would do with his life. Robotnik was no longer a threat to the Freedom Fighters, but he was still considered a threat by Lazer. That man may have run from justice, but Lazer had taken an oath to see Robotnik receive his just reward. He walked among the trees, glad for the darkness they provided.  
  
"Sleep, I just want to sleep now," he muttered to himself. Deep thinking could wait until the next day.  
  
He strolled within sight of the Lake of Rings. He could see its clear waters from the cover of the trees, and while looking at the Lake he sensed another person. He sighed quietly, wondering who would want to come here at this hour, and silently stepped out of the trees, opposite to his hut that was across the Lake.  
  
And he saw her. No, he did not see her, he felt her. With all of his mind and soul, he felt that girl who was standing by his hut. That girl affected him like none other; she affected him more than any other individual on Destiny's Mobius. He was fearful to utter her name, thinking that the spell would be broken and she would vanish into air.  
  
"R. Rebecca."  
  
No spell was broken, and the girl did not vanish. She was a red hedgehog. Instead of the V shaped patch of fur that Lazer wore, she had a wide curve, a semicircle of pinkish red fur. A tuft of light orange hair ran between her ears and fell across her forehead. Her eyes were large and brown, her nose delicate, her mouth small and beautiful. She wore a long white tee shirt, with a logo on it that held an elaborate L and an R overlaying each other. Her pants were short and also white in colour. Her feet wore white sneakers.  
  
"Rebecca?" he repeated. If he were ensnared with Petrify magic, you would not have noticed. He stood stock-still and gaped with wonder. Was it her, the girl that he loved, that had disappeared before the bomb fell? How, in the name of all the cosmic powers, did she manage to escape, and be standing by his hut four and a half years later?  
  
"Rebecca," he said loud enough so that she could hear him, with the still forest around her. She looked in his direction and also froze.  
  
"Lazer?" she said uncertainly, in that voice he remembered so well. Rainbow lights were coming from his body, and she was in doubt. She said nothing as that person standing on the other end of the Lake left the ground and hovered slowly toward her. He alighted three feet away from her, and she saw that it was Lazer. The dark red fur, the orange skin, the V shaped fur on his head, the orange, spiked boots. The intense gaze he gave her with his black eyes.  
  
"Lazer!" was all she could say. There were an infinite amount of unsaid words between them, and neither he nor she knew how to breach the gap. Lazer finally made a move and walked up to her. She also stepped closer.  
  
"How did you get those. rainbows?"  
  
"It's. a very long story. Rebecca, is that you? Rebecca Coriander?"  
  
She nodded vigorously, eyes aglow.  
  
"Where did you live five years ago?"  
  
"The country Xadra, city of Adrax, Kane district, Parcinnan Avenue, house number eighty four," she recited. Lazer was still questioning her.  
  
"And your house was."  
  
"Painted smoky blue, green roof, with a small white patch that flaked off beside the attic window."  
  
"You are Rebecca?" he asked in a low voice.  
  
"Yeah, I am!"  
  
"Then kiss me."  
  
She drew closer, inches from his face, and stopped. She stepped backward, looked at him once more, and then kissed him, three times: once on the right side of his chest, the left cheek, and his forehead. He held her hands.  
  
"You're. back."  
  
Then a change came over Lazer, something that was completely adverse to the attitude he had developed over the years. His face seemed to melt and shift. His eyes were no longer hard and frowning. They liquidated into soft pools of black, adoring and passionate. His mouth, always set in a firm thin line, parted, and he gasped. Something else happened that was unthinkable. He began to cry. The tears were not of anger, and they were not of grief. They were drops of unimaginable joy, the joy of finding the person who filled the cavernous chasm in his heart, the joy of finding his love, his one and only, Rebecca.  
  
It was tentative at first. He leaned closer to her face, wondering if she were ready. At first their lips only brushed, but the hunger was waking up in both of them. He kissed her, for the first time in eternity. He remembered her hot, moist mouth, the one he had kissed so often. He remembered the feel of her body pressed against his. Oh Goddess, he remembered everything. It took all of their will power to break away and talk again. They were both a bit breathless, with the rush of emotions that had stayed buried so long.  
  
"After so long. I knew that you weren't dead, Rebecca. I knew that you were alive. If I had thought you were gone, I would have lost my mind."  
  
"Lazer. I waited for you. I waited almost five agonizing years. There was not a single day that passed when I didn't remember you, can you believe that?" she whispered to him, her eyes overflowing.  
  
"I can believe it, because I never forgot you. But, how did you escape? How did you get out? You disappeared a week before Xadra was bombed."  
  
"The whole of Xadra was bombed?"  
  
By the Walkers, he thought miserably, she doesn't know.  
  
He broke the news to her that Xadra had been completely annihilated, and that he had seen the horrific aftermath. She asked him if it were true, that nothing was left. He nodded, dismayed that she had not known for so long. The tears flowed from her brown eyes again.  
  
"I can't. think of such destruction. By the Goddess, Lazer, how did you live after seeing that?"  
  
"You know those Ancient Walkers I told you about? They're real, and they helped me. They gave me the will to live. I'll tell you about that later, but Rebecca, how did you escape and end up here?"  
  
She bravely choked back tears for her lost land.  
  
"Myself and twenty others used a private transport, and we were flying over this country. I suppose we flew too close to Robotnik's city, and the automatic defenses picked us up on radar. It was the luckiest thing in the universe that the transport crashed near to the forest. Some Freedom Fighters saw us crash and managed to save us."  
  
"All of you? Twenty? They're still alive?"  
  
"Except for the pilot, of course. He died some hours after we made it to the Cridon Base."  
  
It took a few hours for her to explain everything to Lazer. She told him that her immediate family was alive (both parents and sister), and that she was a Freedom Fighter. Lazer could not believe that the Cridon base was only forty-six miles south west of Knothole! Why hadn't he been told about the presence of other red hedgehogs among the Freedom Fighters? She told him about her life among the Freedom Fighters, the new friends she made and the people who won her respect.  
  
"I have a karate school in the base. My class is about sixty five people, and about half of them are older than me."  
  
"So, that first degree black belt paid off, huh? I still have my fourth degree somewhere in my hut. I bet that I can still whup you!" he said playfully.  
  
"I don't think so. I became a fifth degree over the years. I was in training too!"  
  
"Darn! You accomplished more than I did!" he laughed, and she laughed with him. Lazer was humbled when she talked. He knew that he could have helped the Freedom Fighters in so many other ways, but he had kept to himself all the time. Now that Rebecca was here, he had an incentive to go out and make a difference. The moon came into the sky, and the stars came out, but the lovers talked. And talked, and talked. There was so much to say, and now, they had all the time in the world.  
  
Lazer the red hedgehog had re-discovered happiness.  
  
  
  
The same crescent moon above Lazer and Rebecca also shone upon the bleak landscape, an area of Mobius where no mortal had even trodden before. There were no hills, no trees, no grass, and no living creatures, not even insects. It was upon this featureless land that a meeting took place. The three Masked Ones appeared, and stood silently. Then, the wind stopped. Clouds gathered above, and hid the moon and stars. The final figure appeared, His black robes hid His body, and His face was shrouded in unnatural darkness. He stood taller than even the Masked Ones, and He spoke with tremendous authority. His voice was as dark and terrible as the garments he wore.  
  
"I am impatient with you, Ancient Walkers. You have defied My will for the first time in eons."  
  
"We could not allow such a tragedy to befall Mobius. It was not right that so many die needlessly," they said as one.  
  
"My will was that the Freedom Fighters be removed from this planet, so that a new breed of creatures could develop, stronger than any other beings. It was My will that evolution follow its course, but you interfered. You called upon the Brothers to save the Freedom Fighters."  
  
"We felt pity, that so many would die."  
  
"It does not matter what you feel, Ancient Walkers. With Destiny by my side, I created the heavens and Mobius, and saw that the creatures upon the planet were weak. It is My hand that decides their fate, for I AM Fate. It was not meant for you to defy My will."  
  
"The Freedom Fighters are evolving upon their own plane. Eventually they will inherit Mobius. Leave them be! This planet does not need a new breed of creature, We are certain."  
  
Fate's terrible voice withheld Its anger. The Ancient Walkers had defied Him, but He would be merciful.  
  
"So be it. I will allow these Freedom Fighters to live. But do not defy me again, Masked Ones. You will rue the day that My hand falls upon you with anger."  
  
His voice had spoken. Fate, the counterpart of Destiny, removed Himself from Mobius. The three Masked Ones also removed Their beings from Mobius.  
  
The Ancient Walkers had defied Fate, so that the Freedom Fighters could live. Their very existence had been threatened, but Mobius had been spared the death of an entire race, a race of fighters. The Gods worked in mysterious ways. 


	16. The end of the Brothers

Chapter 16- the end of the Brothers  
  
Sonic awoke. He had slept in his hut last night. It may be hard to comprehend, but Sally and he had not slept together after the much- anticipated proposal the day before. Sleeping together would wait until after the wedding, which would take place soon.  
  
"This is gonna be a beautiful day," he said contentedly, arms crossed behind his head, and a dreamy smile upon his face. His mind was at ease. Nothing bothered him any longer. Sally had promised to marry him, and that was all he needed to think of in order to be happy. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and buckled the red and white sneakers to his feet. The Rainbow had not yet left him, but he did not mind. It would be a strange thing to walk around with lights shining from his body, but the abilities given to him more than made up for any inconvenience. He looked forward to flying with Sally among the morning clouds.  
  
"Sonic, return to the waterfall."  
  
He stopped in his tracks with a hand on the doorknob. The Brother of the Rainbow had spoken to him within his mind.  
  
"Sonic, you cannot live with the Rainbow forever. It must be returned to us."  
  
"Whatever you say," he sighed and opened the door. The Rainbow had served its purpose, and now he must return its power to the owners. He ran out of his hut and to the waterfall, while Knothole was stirring from sleep.  
  
  
  
"Lazer, return to the waterfall."  
  
The voice startled Lazer from sleep. His eyes were still closed while he yawned and stretched, then got to his feet. He took one step away from his bed and felt himself falling, flat onto his face. He floated upward impulsively, opening his eyes. He saw trees all around him.  
  
"What the."  
  
Then he remembered. He looked down and saw the roof of his hut, where he had slumbered during the night. A sheet was spread over the thatch, rumpled. He recalled telling Rebecca that they shouldn't 'rush it' so he had given her his bed while he took the roof. He did not mind, he did not care where he slept, as long as it was relatively close to her.  
  
"Is she still there?" he wondered. To be sure, he landed on the grass and walked around to the door. He pushed it open, wide enough to let his head in, and looked inside.  
  
"Hello, beautiful," he said ever so softly. She was sleeping on her side, legs tucked up to her body, facing the door. She slept with a smile on her face. The sheets over her body rose and fell with her breathing. He smiled and closed the door, satisfied.  
  
"It's going to be a beautiful day," he said, filled with a peace that he had never felt in years.  
  
"Lazer, the Rainbow is not yours to keep. You must do what is right."  
  
"I will, I will," he said to the original Brother.  
  
The Rainbow was a powerful tool. It had vastly boosted his powers for the few days he had owned it. Now he had to give it away, not without reluctance.  
  
"See you there, Sonic."  
  
He flew up high and made off to the waterfall.  
  
  
  
"Here we are again!"  
  
Lazer stood beside him, upon a Twin Circle. The foaming waterfall splashed endlessly before them, as the rainbow also shone tirelessly above their heads. They waited.  
  
"Pretty, isn't it," said Lazer, smiling gently at the waterfall, "Nature can be so pretty."  
  
"Hey, bro, wipe that smile off your face, you're scaring me," Sonic said, also grinning, "By the way, why are you so happy this morning?"  
  
"Happy? 'Overjoyed' is the right word. She's back, Sonic. I thought that I would have to find her, but she found me first."  
  
"She?" -he paused for a moment- "Oh! Rebecca, that's your girlfriend, right? How could she be back? I thought she disappeared."  
  
"It turns out, that she and about twenty others escaped to this country," Lazer began, and then started the story Rebecca had re-told him.  
  
"Whoa, so there's hope for your race!"  
  
"Yes, thank the Walkers. It must be a case of divine intervention again that brought them here. Hey, Sonic?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"How did Rebecca know where to find me? She's not from Knothole, and she couldn't know the way to the Lake."  
  
"Maybe she asked someone the day before, when there was a bunch of celebrations going on. Hey, wait a minute, I know!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yesterday, when we were showing off our powers to the troops, to convince them that we'd be able to help. I bet a million dollars that one of Rebecca's friends saw you, a red hedgehog, and then went to tell her!"  
  
"Hey, that's right! Damn, that's what you call really divine intervention! Maybe it was meant for the battle to be lost the other day, so I could meet her again."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"You know little of the significance these past few days have had."  
  
"Yet you both won the victory. For that we are grateful."  
  
"We will remove the Rainbow. Close your eyes."  
  
Without question, Lazer and Sonic did so. The world around them became very bright, and they could see the light glowing past their eyelids. Colours lifted from them, and fell into a swirling vortex before the waterfall. The vortex became thinner and thinner, the colours combining to form brilliant white light, and then vanished.  
  
"The Black Emerald has been sealed, and will never fall into the wrong hands as long as Mobius exists."  
  
"Farewell, Sonic."  
  
"Farewell, Lazer."  
  
"We shall not meet again."  
  
The voices faded forever. The two ex-Brothers opened their eyes and checked for any rainbow marks.  
  
"That's it. No more flying for me," sighed Sonic.  
  
"It's a shame. Now I won't be able to read anyone's mind."  
  
"Well, bro, it was fun while it lasted."  
  
"Yes it was. I'm going with Rebecca to the Cridon base. I have to meet everyone there!"  
  
"Well, I'm gonna be having a lo-ooong conversation with Sally. We have to discuss some things."  
  
"Your marriage. While I was walking back to my hut yesterday, I could sense your feelings even from that far away. You were both so happy, it was like fireworks going off in my head."  
  
"Too bad you won't be able to know everything about what's going on around you, huh?"  
  
"You know what? I don't care at all. I have Rebecca."  
  
"And I have Sally."  
  
They walked (Sonic ran) off their separate ways. No longer were they Brothers of the Rainbow, but they were united in a way, as both of them had found great joy.  
  
The waterfall and river beneath ceaselessly flowed, and the rainbow shone above the Twin Circles. Then, as the forest grew quiet, the waterfall and its shoulders of rock faded and the rainbow disappeared. The Twin Circles sunk into the water and never saw daylight again. The forest canopy, slashed open to allow sunlight, was covered with leaves and branches once more. What was left was a dark, silent river, with smears of sunshine breaking through the trees here and there.  
  
The Gods worked in mysterious ways.  
  
  
  
**********END**********  
  
  
  
Afterthought-  
  
Thank you for reading my very, very long story. I appreciate your interest in my work. I hope that you enjoyed reading this, very much. I have to say goodbye for a few months now, as O-Levels approaches and I need to concentrate on studying. By next year July, I should be free to write even more fanfics. Until then, reader, goodbye. We will meet again.  
  
  
  
-LazerTH 


End file.
